White Moon Rising
by WitcherBlue
Summary: The Otsutsuki family brought the gods a lot of trouble, namely Kaguya. However, after a heartfelt plea from her, the gods made a decision that would impact the world in more ways than they knew. What changes would the Rabbit Goddess' third child bring? Unaware of exactly who he is, Naruto will carve his own path, with his best friends along for the ride. NarutoxHarem Slight OC's
1. Chapter 1

Okay! Just an author's note to start this off, this isn't my first fanfic but I haven't done it in years, so I might be kinda bad. I know I might do pretty bad at fight scenes. I'm kinda iffy on the name so we'll say it's a working title. Hopefully I've picked up a few writing tips to make it good. This is an idea that's rattled in my brain for a while and I just decided, what the hell? If people seem to like it, then I'll continue, fair warning though, with college and work chapters might be slow going...

First of all, a few things... It's a harem, but I'll try to keep it manageable, maybe three to five girls? Who knows, we'll feel it out as we go.

Secondly, I admit there are characters I really dislike, but I'll try not to bash anyone, at least not _too_ hard. I'll try to have a decent explanation for anything I put in the story, and so you all know, there's elements of a 'Naruto Neglected/abandoned' planned for the future. I know it's been done a thousand times, but they're some of my favorite stories, again, I'll try to make it make sense and fit in as much as I can.

Lastly, a few things in case I didn't make it clear in the summary, Naruto is Kaguya's youngest son in this AU, how will that work? We'll see. The Kyuubi Jinchuriki will still exist though, in the form of fem Naruto, or as she'll be known here, Yasaka. Might need to workshop that name though... I also don't know Japanese, so google translate will be on hand here, forgive me if translations are off. If anyone knows a reliable Japanese to English site then let me know!

I'm also terrible at describing people, so for a couple OC's I'll probably use references from games or anime for their appearances and outfits. There aren't many OC's, just two, and they aren't even really original... I'll let you know who to look up to get the idea. Also, academy starts at 12 and they normally become Genin at 16 in this story.

Thus chapter may have a lot of drama in it, they won't all be like this. I just realized while writing that all the setup stuff I do may make this seem like an angsty type story, it's not.

Not much else I can explain, so let's just iron out a few things and get started! (Sorry if there are a few grammar issues, I'm posing this before I go to work and haven't had time to proofread yet...)

"Human speech."

_"Thinking/Internal speaking."_

**"Demon/God speech."**

**_"Demon/ God thought."_**

**_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.**_**

**Chapter 1: A Millennia Late Birth.**

The Shinigami had done and seen many things in it's immortal existence, but there was one thing he had never expected to happen. As he sat in a void, contemplating on things very few other beings could understand, he felt a foreign power enter his domain. He recognized it almost immediately, it would be a long time before he forgot _that_ woman... He looked to his side and saw a tear appear in space, a portal opening up and something about to come through, well if she thought she could take him then she would be sorely mistaken... Shinigami paused as a soft voice greeted him instead, "Please... I need your help, I know you don't trust me, nor do I expect you, but if you don't, an innocent child will die!" The voice soon faded out and the portal closed.

Shinigami was silent for a moment before sighing, **"I had a feeling today would be a bad day..."**

* * *

-_ Some time later, unknown location. -_

**"...There it is, my whole story."** Shinigami said to his two sisters, Kami and Yami. He had just finished telling them the story of the portal opening up and someone speaking to him. Shinigami was currently in his preferred form, a purple skinned demonic figure with shaggy white hair and a white kimono, **"I have no doubt, it was Kaguya, I'd know that voice anywhere."**

Yami grit her teeth and clenched a fist, "Hasn't that little bitch learned her lesson!? I should go down there and get rid of her for good!" Yami was a woman of incredible beauty, perfect, delicate features fitting a princess in a storybook. She had long black hair, falling down her back like a waterfall of ink, sucking in all light that touched it. Her eyes were Yellow with black sclera, containing a coldness that could freeze hell itself. She was dressed in a black kimono, slightly falling over her shoulders and showing off her long legs. She was barefoot, and kept a sword on her hip, it seemed to be as dark as she did.

"Calm down you two, we shouldn't do anything rash." Kami said, holding her arms up to placate her siblings. Kami was almost an identical twin to Yami, however her hair and eyes were brown. She seemed to be near the opposite of her sister in every way minus appearance. Her eyes carried warmth and peace, a motherly smile was always on her face, and her elegant white kimono giving her an air of grace and nobility, "This may very well be a trap, but why would Kaguya spend what precious little chakra she was able to squeeze together in the seal to contact us? She's no doubt completely powerless right now, so maybe there is some truth to what she says?"

Yami scoffed at her sister's thought, "She's trying to play us! We all know damn well she can't see anything on the planet from her seal, so her little ploy of 'an innocent child dying' is a complete lie!" Yami wanted no part of this, Kaguya was a threat, they could not risk her being released! Due to a set of ancient laws, they couldn't interfere with the lives of the mortals on their world. Kaguya may have been revered as a Goddess, but she was still mortal, so they couldn't just go kill her if she got out, "The humans aren't strong enough to handle her! It'll be another era of Kaguya ruling everything with her damn eye!"

Shinigami chimed in again, **"I agree with you Yami, but Kami also has a point... Kaguya is powerless, so why would she do this? Even if we went to see her in the seal, she has no power. Plus, I could sense no lies or ill intent from her."** Both Goddesses fell silent at this, Shinigami never misread a person. If he said they meant no harm, they didn't, period.

Kami clapped her hands with a smile, "Well then! I'll go speak to her and see what she wants, you two watch and if something goes wrong then come help, okay?" Without even waiting for a response, Kami disappeared in a flash.

Yami groaned, "Us dammit! Why does she always do that!?" Shinigami shrugged as the two gods started observing their sister with Kaguya.

* * *

_-Inside the moon, Kaguya's seal.-_

Kami flashed into existence in front of the sealed Kaguya. The two were floating in a black void, Kaguya's seemingly sleeping form suspended in the air. Kami walked over and poked Kaguya in the forehead, pushing out a duplicate of the woman, this one awake.

Kaguya frantically looked around, before her eyes landed on Kami, "You came! Thank you, thank you so much!" She bowed low to Kami, further surprising the gods, "Please, you have to act quickly, there isn't much time!"

Kami raised a hand to stop her, "Perhaps you can explain what's going on? Now what child needs saving? We know you can't see the world outside of here." Kami may have retained her motherly appearance, but there was steel in her eyes.

Kaguya nodded, "I'm sorry... You see, when I started turning against Hagoromo and Hamura, I decided I needed something to help me beat them... So I went to my lover Tenji and... well..." Kami realized what she was saying and instantly focused on Kaguya's body, feeling another, much smaller life force in her body, "I was sealed before I gave birth to him, so he's been suspended in here with me... But the seal is killing him, I can feel it! He's so small and weak he can't handle the seal's power, not even when I'm protecting him!" Kaguya turned to Kami with desperation in her eyes and tears on her cheeks, "Please save him!"

Kami was silent, then turned to Kaguya and raised a delicate eyebrow, "Why do you care? I was under the impression you wanted all chakra for yourself, so why do you want me to help bring him into the world? Also you seem... much more caring than I remember..."

Kaguya nodded, "I think it's the seal, my chakra has been gone so long that, at least this part of me, is back to how I was before I went... well... crazy..." She shook her head, "I don't care if I spend the rest of eternity in this seal, just help him, please, I beg of you!" Kaguya said, bowing to Kami again.

All there was in the air was the silence of the void, and Kaguya was afraid her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Then she heard it. A small gurgle, a squeak, then finally, crying... A baby crying... Kaguya stood up and stared at Kami, who now held a small bundle in her arms. Kami was wrapping it in fine white cloth and smiling down at it. Kaguya stepped forward, but stopped when Kami turned to her. Kami stared at her for a minute before holding the bundle out to her. Kaguya took a few shaky steps forward and took the bundle, looking down into the face of her youngest child.

He looked up at her with a pair of Byakugan eyes just like hers, except they seemed to have the barest tinge of blue to them, with a tiny pair of horns poking through his skin at his hairline. He had a tuft of white hair on his head and three marks, like whiskers on his cheeks. As she held him, he smiled up at her and reached out to her, Kaguya's eyes widened as a pair of chakra hand constructs came out of his hands and pulled her closer.

Kami walked over and giggled a bit, "Well, someone's already making trouble, such lovely eyes, and at such a young age! Pity they need to be sealed away..." With a wave of her hand, the horns disappeared, his eyes gained a pair of pupils and turned to a deep sapphire blue, while his chakra was restrained a bit.

Kaguya was a bit saddened by the changes, but brought her baby close to her, holding him for a while, and relishing in her one moment of clear thoughts of her family in a long time... Once she was done, she handed her baby back to Kami, "Please make sure my little Naruto is safe... Please..." Then she disappeared, leaving only the sleeping Kaguya in the seal.

Kami held Naruto, thinking of where to take him, "Naruto, I like that name! I think you'll do great things in the future little one!"

* * *

_-Konoha streets, midnight.-_

Kami walked toward the Konoha orphanage to drop Naruto off, after thinking a bit, this as the best choice. It was a toss up between here and Suna, but Konoha would have the resources to protect him after his abilities surfaced. Plus, there was soon to be a little girl here that could use a friend... Kami looked down at the bundle in her arms, "You have a difficult life ahead of you, little one... But I have faith that you will grow and become the hero this world needs." Kami arrived at the orphanage, and sat Naruto down on the step, still wrapped in his blanket. She knew this was an iffy decision, given what was going to happen in a few days, but she knew the orphanage and Naruto would be fine, she'd make it so. The fox wouldn't touch this building. Kami sighed as she knocked on the door and stood back, making herself invisible. She was all knowing, but it was more a curse than a blessing, being able to see deaths coming, but not able to stop it...

Kami watched as the matron of the orphanage opened up the door and noticed the baby. She seemed instantly taken with Naruto, cooing at him and playing with him. She took him inside and quickly went to work getting him a place there. Kami smiled, hopefully he would grow up to become a fine man... Oh who was she kidding, she knew exactly what would happen! She couldn't wait! His life was like a good sitcom, or maybe a drama... Kami shook her head and disappeared, informing her siblings of the development.

* * *

_-Ten years later, Konoha Streets-_

Naruto, now 10 years old and standing at 5 feet tall, sighed to himself as he dusted off his shoulder, another day another fight... Naruto was wearing a white long sleeved shirt and black pants with black SHinobi sandals, his white, spiky hair hung down over his forehead, and his blue eyes sparkled with amusement. He and Yasaka had been minding their own business when these idiots came out of nowhere and started insulting her. Normally she could handle it, but they were in public, so if she raised a hand to them it could escalate into something ugly real quick. Thankfully, Naruto had no such restrictions and proceeded to mop the floor with them. He walked over and gave a swift kick to the supposed leader of the group, "So, you idiots gonna keep bothering Yasaka-chan?" Then shook their heads and managed to get back to their feet, "Good! Now leave." They quickly ran off, not wanting to anger the white haired boy again.

Naruto turned around and walked over to one of his three real friends, "You okay?"

Yasaka flipped her her hair with a huff, her long blonde hair swaying in the breeze and violet eyes sparkling. (I am absolutely terrible at describing hair, so imagine she has hair like CC from Code Geass.) Yasaka was a girl of 10 years old standing at 4'5", wearing an orange t-shirt and a pair of black bicycle shorts under a thigh-length white skirt, finished off with black ninja sandals, "I'm fine, you should've let me help!"

Naruto shook his head and gave her a toothy grin, "Ah, then we'd have a mob after us Yasaka-chan! That wouldn't make for a very fun day, would it?" The two continued walking, having been interrupted on their way by the idiots.

Yasaka let out a small giggle, then looked over at Naruto, suddenly a bit nervous, "Naruto-kun... Why do you still hang out with me? I do nothing but get into trouble, people hate me and call me a demon... So why?" She truly didn't know... Other kids her age stayed away from her or left her alone after finding out who she was, but not Naruto. He refused to leave her...

Naruto gave her a pointed look, "This again? I've told you before Yasaka-chan, you're my best friend, that's all there is to it!" Naruto didn't know why he was so drawn to Yasaka in their early years, but he didn't really care. She needed a friend, and he decided to be that friend, no matter what people thought of her, he knew who she really was, and he'd stick with her through thick and thin!

As they walked, they found themselves at the gates to the Hyuga compound to pick up the third member of their group. The guard have them a smile, "Naruto-san, Uzumaki-san, one second." He left for a minute, before returning with a young Hyuga girl. She had lavender tinged eyes and short blue hair. She was wearing a simple pair of Shinobi pants, sandals, and a t-shirt, covered by a beige jacket, "Hello Naruto-kun, Yasaka-chan."

"Hi Hinata-chan! Ready for our training today?" Yasaka asked with a smile, Hinata nodded and turned to wave to the guard, thanking him.

"Naruto-kun... Did you get into a fight already?" Hinata asked with a bit of disappointment, noticing marks on Naruto's knuckles.

Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Come on Hinata-chan, you say that like I go looking for it! They were picking on Yasaka-chan, what was I supposed to do?" He fidgeted at the disappointed look Hinata was giving him.

The bluenette then smiled and patted Naruto on the shoulder, "Never change." Naruto just grinned and nodded.

Yasaka's eye twitched as she noticed the blush on Hinata's face, "Alright then, we'd best get going, sensei will probably be annoyed if we're late!" The two others nodded and the three headed off to get the last member of their little group. As they walked, Hinata couldn't help but remember when she met her two friends, who saved her life and changed it for the better.

* * *

_-Flashback, four years prior, Konoha clan district, midnight-_

_Naruto and Yasaka were walking along the street, having been chased out of the orphanage. Well, Yasaka was chased out and Naruto followed her. Naruto had his arm around the sobbing girl, they people hadn't been nice to her at all, they just decided they had enough of the 'demon' in their orphanage and threw her out into the street. _

_"...I'm sorry Naruto-kun... You should go back to the orphanage, I'll be fine on my own... You shouldn't be with a demon like me." Yasaka said through her tears, the pain in her voice enough to break anyone's heart._

_Naruto stopped and hugged her, "Don't ever say that again! You aren't a demon, I have no idea why people call you that, but I don't ever want to hear you saying that again, okay?" He gave her a smile and wiped her tears away, "Now come on, let's go see Jiji, I'm sure he can help us, I just hope he's not too upset at us for waking him up late at night..." Yasaka nodded and he kept leading her through the streets._

_As they walked, Naruto and Yasaka suddenly stopped, both of their heads snapped over to the patch of woods near them, "Did you feel that?" Naruto asked, sensing something wrong._

_Yasaka nodded, shivering a bit, "Someone bad is in those trees... I can feel them." She could sense ill intent, and whoever it was clearly had it in spades. The two noticed a lot of commotion at the Hyuga compound, people running around and yelling being heard over the walls. _

_Naruto narrowed his eyes and turned toward the presence he sensed, "Stay here." Then he quickly ran off into the trees. Yasaka yelled after him, but realized he wasn't stopping. She fidgeted for a second, then turned toward the compound and ran over to it._

_Naruto crept through the trees, and eventually found his way to a clearing, seeing a ninja, not one from Konoha, struggling to handle a small girl about his age, she had her arms and legs bound with a cloth over her mouth "Dammit girl, stay still!" He slapped her, eliciting a scream from her. Naruto narrowed his eyes and quickly made his way behind the shinobi. Naruto jumped up and wrapped his small arms around his neck, trying to choke him. The shinobi jumped up, dropping the girl, and tried to shake Naruto off, then when he realized it was only another kid, he reached back and threw Naruto off._

_Naruto rolled along the ground, then when he came to a stop got back to his feet, making sure to keep his enemy in sight. His opponent groaned upon seeing him, "Dammit, I hate killing kids... You just had to play hero didn't you." He said with a sneer. Naruto took a deep breath, then gasped as the ninja suddenly appeared behind him. Naruto quickly dodged the stab from behind, and while the ninja as wondering how he managed to, Naruto threw his fist forward, breaking the ninja's nose. He stumbled back, angered at being hurt by some little kid. When he looked up, Naruto and Hinata were running through the trees, he growled and quickly chased after them. He caught up to them rather easily and tripped up Naruto, causing the two children to roll to a stop. _

_Naruto grit his teeth as the ninja approached them, "Like I said, I don't like killing kids, but I'll be damned if I don't pay you back for my nose..." Naruto was fully prepared to fight back, even with his little chance of winning. He soon found out he didn't even need to, someone appeared in front of Naruto and quickly sent a palm strike at the ninja's chest. Naruto heard an unpleasant, muffled squelching sound, and the ninja fell to he ground, dead._

_The man turned to them, his Byakugan deactivating, he rushed over to Hinata and untied her, taking the cloth from over her mouth, "Hinata, are you alright?" He asked with worry._

_Hinata nodded with a few tears running down her face, "I'm okay Tou-sama, he saved me..." She said as she hugged her father, looking over to Naruto with a blush._

_Naruto fidgeted as the man turned his gaze to him, "Thank you, my name is Hiashi Hyuga. If it weren't for you distracting him, then Hinata may very well have been lost forever. I am in your debt." The now named Hiashi said with appreciation in his voice._

_Naruto nodded, "It was nothing sir..." He would've said more had Yasaka not barreled through the trees and slammed into him, "Ah! Yasaka-chan what're you doing!?" He asked as she hugged him with enough strength to make him think his bones were breaking._

_Yasaka held on as tightly as she could, "You idiot! You could've been killed! Do you have any idea what I would've done if you left me all alone? If I hadn't gone and told the Hyuga what we sensed you'd be dead! Don't ever do that again!" She cried, clearly not intending on letting him go anytime soon._

_Hiashi found some amusement in the sight and cleared his throat, getting their attention, "I thank you both for this, and Uzumaki-san explained the situation to me. You two are more than welcome to stay at the Hyuga compound for as long as you wish." Naruto and Yasaka were both surprised, and grateful for his offer. With that, all four of them went to the Hyuga estate for the night to relax after the stressful time._

* * *

The next few days of political repercussions that followed were definitely not pretty... Hinata needed some help from her two new friends to get over the death of her uncle Hizashi. While Naruto and Yasaka enjoyed their time at the Hyuga compound, they didn't want to impose, so they went to see the Hokage and he set them up with a nice apartment to share. They had quickly become fast friends with Hinata, with her joining their little group.

The three finally arrived at their destination, and a silence fell between them. While they loved their last friend, every time they went to meet her, a somber mood fell over them. The three stood outside the Uchiha clan compound, now devoid of all life but two for the last two years...

The gate slowly creaked open and their last comrade made her appearance, Yuuko Uchiha, one of the only two remaining loyal Uchiha in Konoha. (Imagine Yuuko Kamishiro from Digimon Cyber Sleuth, just younger.) She was wearing a black battle kimono and black sandals. Her blank face gained a small smile at seeing them, "Hello everyone, I hope you weren't waiting too long." She said in a soft tone. Yuuko wasn't exactly expressive with her emotions, her friends had learned to read hr very well, but anyone who just met her would see her as completely cold and stoic. Their meeting with Yuuko was arguably more dramatic than their meeting with Hinata...

* * *

_-Flashback, two years prior, Hokage Monument.-_

_Naruto and Yasaka were on their way up to the overlook on top of the monument, their favorite place to relax. The last few weeks had been hard on the village, the entirety of the Uchiha clan had been totally wiped out, by one of their own even... Naruto and Yasaka couldn't even imagine what the only two survivors must have been going through, they were broken out of their thoughts as they saw someone else at the overlook. Standing very close to the edge..._

_As they got closer, they saw that it was a girl about their age, wearing a black yukata, tear marks staining her face, bags under her eyes, and a dead look to them. Naruto and Yasaka shared a look before Naruto spoke up, "Hello, are you okay?"_

_The girl turned and glanced at them, before returning to looking over the village, "Please leave me alone." She looked down to the ground and took a shaky breath._

_Naruto's brow furrowed as he stepped forward, "Well if you're about to do what I think you are, then I can't do that."_

_She stepped a bit closer to the edge, "Don't get any closer. I know what I'm doing..."_

_"Are you sure about that? I don't think throwing yourself off a mountain will fix anything that you're going through." Yasaka asked, not really knowing what to say._

_The girl turned to them, with fresh tears welling in her eyes, "It'll make the pain stop... I won't have to see it anymore, I won't have nightmares anymore."_

_Yasaka narrowed her eyes, "Oh come on, it can't be that bad! You sure you aren't just overreacting?" Naruto turned to her and gave her a 'WTF?' look._

_Instead of getting angry like Naruto thought, the girl simply stared at Yasaka, "I watched my big brother, who I idolized, slaughter our parents in cold blood, then heard him kill every single other member of my family and torture my brother." Naruto and Yasaka's eyes widened, so that's who she was, Yuuko Uchiha, "I keep reliving it every night, that horrible sight replays in my head constantly. So no, I don't think I'm overreacting..." _

_Naruto held his hands up to placate her, "I'm very sorry for her, she talks before she thinks sometimes..." He walked a few steps closer, "I know what happened to you was terrible... But don't you think it's a bit early to go now? You have your whole life ahead of you! You need time to grieve, talk to a therapist, but don't throw it all away like this! Don't you also have a brother, won't he miss you?"_

_She shook her head, "He hasn't talked to me since it happened. I have nothing anymore, this pain won't stop and I can't get the images out of my mind... This is the only way to stop it all..." She turned to the cliff, and just as she seemed like she was about to jump, Yasaka spoke up._

_"You're pathetic." Naruto's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and even Yuuko seemed surprised, they both turned to Yasaka, who was glaring at her, "You're thinking of killing yourself because it's the easy way out. You'd rather die like a coward than live and become stronger, it's pathetic." _

_Yuuko finally showed some emotion as she turned to Yasaka with anger in her eyes, "How would you know, what have you gone through in your life? You don't have any idea what I feel, so don't call me pathetic!" She raised her voice, and Naruto was about to intervene, until Yasaka spoke again.  
_

_Yasaka had shot forward and grabbed Yuuko by the collar of her Kimono, "I can call you pathetic because that's what I thought of myself!" Naruto stopped and decided to let Yasaka keep talking. Yuuko was surprised at her words, what did she mean? Yasaka kept glaring at her, "I can't count the number of times I was in the same position, thinking it'd be easier to end it all than to live in this damn world. Do people call you a demon? Do they beat you, starve you, and curse your very existence?" Naruto had no idea Yasaka had actually thought bout doing that... She was always so full of life, no matter what happened, "That's what they do to me, and if I didn't have Naruto-kun in my life, I would've thrown myself off this mountain years ago! I get it, you feel like nothing will ever make you happy again, like you're drowning in darkness. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting smaller and smaller and you don't think you'll ever get there." Yasaka let go of Yuuko and backed away a bit, "If you want to run away from life then fine, just don't act like you're the only one who suffers."_

_Yuuko stood in stunned silence for a few minutes, and Naruto was afraid things were about to go south very fast. Yuuko's shoulders shook as her tears started flowing freely, "I... I can't... What if I lose everything again, what if I do have a life and family, then they all leave too... I can't, I can't do it!" Yuuko dropped to her knees sobbing._

_Yasaka's eyes softened, "Then get strong enough that nothing can hurt the people you love. You have no clue what life has in store for you, so don't throw it all away." Yasaka held her hand out to Yuuko, hoping she would take it._

_Yuuko looked up into Yasaka's eyes, her sobbing calming down a bit. Yuuko took Yasaka's hand, then looked over to see a grinning Naruto place his hand on her shoulder. They led her away from the cliff and sat with her for a minute. She eventually fell asleep on Naruto's shoulder, the two jumped when an ANBU with a bear mask appeared in front of them, "Nice job you two. I was about to step in and get her away from the edge myself." He chuckled at their surprised look, "Hokage-sama isn't stupid, he knew Yuuko and Sasuke would be traumatized by this, so he had us keep a watch on them. Let's go see him, we'll need to get her some therapy sessions set up." he then looked to Yasaka, "Maybe some for you as well."_

_Yasaka shouted indignantly as the ANBU led them to the Hokage tower._

* * *

_-Present time, Hokage Tower-_

The four kids knocked on the door to the Hokage's office, and after hearing the voice from the other side, walked in. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, looked up from his paperwork and gave them a smile. He made a sign and an ANBU appeared in front of his desk, he had gravity-defying silver hair and a, Inu mask. The ANBU looked at them and spoke in a slightly lazy voice, "You four sure you can handle this? It's gonna be incredibly tough." He pulled out an orange book and flipped it open, ignoring the girl's annoyed looks.

Naruto nodded, "You bet we are Inu-sensei! We can take anything you throw at us!" The four had been training with their Sensei for about three years now, with Yuuko joining after they met her. He was originally one of Yasaka's guards, but decided to give them a few tips, which eventually turned into full on training sessions every day. Inu had brought it up with the Hokage, and they'd decided to make use of an old and rarely used law for advanced Genin. If a Jonin or higher found a group of kids who they thought had potential, the Jonin could train them and once they reached a certain level, they could take a test to become Genin without needing to finish or even go to the academy. This was the first day of their real training.

Hiruzen chuckled, "I have faith that you four will make us proud, just try not to hurt yourselves." He saw all four of them like his own grandchildren, and he truly hoped they could handle this. They were all very talented, but becoming Genin so young would put large targets on their heads... Truthfully, this might be for the best, he didn't know how Yasaka would handle the academy, or if the teachers could be trusted to train her accurately. The only one he could trust was Iruka Umino, who would be teaching them basic school knowledge in addition to their Shinobi training.

In all honesty, while Yasaka was a special case who definitely needed special attention due to her, tenant... He couldn't help but feel like Naruto would also need some attention. He and Inu knew there was something special about him. They had at first thought he was royalty, the cloth he was wrapped in when he was left at the orphanage was of the finest quality, something only nobles could afford. They first suspected when they were watching the two three year olds play in a training ground. They got to talking about business and didn't notice Naruto managing to climb a tree and falling, they turned just in time to see him slam onto the ground on his neck, enough to snap a normal child's neck. However, Naruto was completely fine,he just sniffled a bit and went about his playing. After that they took him to the hospital for a checkup and discovered several amazing things. He was much more durable and much stronger than a normal child his age, the nurses had to work to get a needle into his arm to take a blood sample. Speaking of his blood, the doctors didn't know what, but there was something strange about it... The one thing that stunned them was that he had absolutely massive chakra reserves, a match for even Yasaka, who was a chakra capacity monster! The both of them on their own had Kage level reserves, of course it was a double edged sword, they would have to work on control their whole lives.

Hiruzen watched them walk away with a smile, one thing was for sure, they would do great things, he could see it already.

* * *

_-Training ground 7, two years later-_

Naruto, Yasaka, Hinata, and Yuuko were sitting in their usual training ground, waiting for their Sensei. Today was finally the day they'd be taking their test to become Genin. It was a bit surreal to them, the other kids their age would be starting the academy in a week, and they couldn't be more nervous. All they'd done was train with Inu-Sensei, so they had no idea how strong they actually were, they were nowhere near being able to beat him... Suddenly, said ANBU appeared in a swirl of leaves, "Well my cute little students, are you ready for your test?"

They all hopped to their feet and swallowed their nerves, ready to do what they had to do. Inu was soon followed by the Hokage and the Shinobi council, Inoichi Yamanaka, Tsume Inuzuka, Skikaku Nara, Chouza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, and Hiashi Hyuga. All the clan heads were fairly excited to see this. An advanced Genin test hadn't been done since before their parents were clan heads, and this was a special group, the Hyuga heiress, the Uchiha heiress, potentially, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, and an orphan with incredible talent. Hiruzen also noticed that Danzo Shimura had also decided to turn up to the test. He narrowed his eye at his former teammate.

Inu put his book away and dropped into a stance, "No gimmicks this time, it's a straight test of your combat abilities, so come at me with everything you have."

Inu barely had time to finish his sentence before having to dodge a kick from Naruto, the white haired boy engaged Inu in a taijutsu battle, throwing everything he had at him. Inu blocked a few hits, then grabbed Naruto's arm and tossed him away, just in tome to avoid a Jyuken strike from Hinata. Once Naruto rejoined the battle, Inu quickly realized there were two members of the group who hadn't joined in yet. He knocked Naruto and Hinata away before looking to Yasaka and Yuuko, only seeing a wall of shruriken coming toward him. Hinata quickly dashed to Naruto, who'd just finished a chain of handsigns, **"Doton: Doryuheki!"** A small wall of earth rose up to protect the two from the cloud of metal. Inu sighed and pulled out a pair of Kunai to deflect the shruriken he couldn't dodge.

As he made his way through the wall of shruriken, he noticed something larger coming toward him. It was Yuuko running through the cloud with two Fuuma Shruriken, throwing them at Inu, then going through a few handsigns. He dodged one Fuuma Shruriken and managed to deflect the other. As Yuuko was preparing to launch her technique, Inu heard a pop behind him, and turned to see one of the Fuuma Shruriken turning into Yasaka, who was finishing her own handsign.

Yasaka took a deep breath and blew out a large blast of air, **"Futon: Daitoppa!"**

Yuuko took her own breath and launched out a stream of fire, **"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!"**

"Oh..." Inu said to himself as the two attacks collided where he was standing, creating a massive blast of fire. When the blast cleared Inu was nowhere to be found, and all four of his students quickly sprung into action, not quickly enough unfortunately. Naruto felt something grab his ankle, then groaned as he found himself with only his head sticking out of the ground. Inu pulled himself out of the ground and immediately went on the offensive, taking on the three girls in a taijutsu battle. Naruto grit his teeth as two other Yasaka showed up to help get him out.

Yasaka and the others managed to push Inu away, with Naruto joining them a few seconds later. The Shinobi council was very impressed with what they saw, "Damn, they sure don't mess around do they?" Tsume asked.

Shibi nodded in agreement, "They are Genin level from what little we've seen. They possess the ability to come up with strategies quickly and work very well off of each other. Though given Inu-san's heavy lean toward teamwork, I wonder if their individual skills are up to an appropriate level."

Hiruzen gave a nod to Inu, who held his hand up to stop his students, "Alright, now let's add a little bit of spice to the match. Each of you come at me individually so we can practice one on one sparing. Hinata first, then Yuuko, Yasaka, then Naruto last." Inu then reached up and removed his mask. He was wearing a facemask and had a scar over his right eye. His scared eye opened to reveal a single sharingan, "I'll say again, come at me with everything you have, I know you can do more."

His four students nodded and stepped back as Hinata moved forward, moving to a unique Jyuken stance. Hiashi gave a small proud smile, Shukaku Nara raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that the stance Hanako used?"

Hiashi nodded, "Hinata's body wasn't suited to the traditional Jyuken, so I helped her to learn her mother's version. She's grown by leaps and bounds since then."

They all watched as Hinata activated her Byakugan and charged at Inu, throwing palm thrusts and poking strikes at an impressive speed. Inu was forced to dodge, even a single strike from her could do major damage, then he managed to grab Hinata's arm and threw her up into the air, throwing a few kunai after her. Hinata thrust a hand out, sending a burst of chakra into the air that knocked the kunai off course. When she landed, she took a deep breath and threw her arms out to the side, a pair of chakra scalpels appearing over her hands.

Hinata went back to fighting Inu, who was forced to be even more careful to dodge. Suddenly, Hinata abandoned trying to hit him and jumped up, grabbing Inu's shoulder, using him to vault over. Hinata thrust her palm forward, hitting Inu square in the back, or at least she would've if he hadn't been swapped out with a log. Hinata felt cold steel on the back of her neck, "Alright, I think that's enough for now, nice job Hinata."

Inoichi let out a whistle, "Chakra scalpels? Does she want to be a medic?"

Hiashi gained a fond smile, "She's always been interested in medicine, and when she found that technique she decided it's make a good addition to her repertoire."

Yuuko walked over to replace Hinata across from Inu, giving the bluenette a small smile. Yuuko took a second to close her eyes and breathe, before going through a rapid chain of handsigns, **"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"** firing off a barrage of small fireballs.

Inu jumped to the side and ran onto the small river in the training ground, then went through his own handsigns, **"Suiton: Suijinheki!"** A wall of water appeared around Inu, blocking the rest of the fireballs. When Kakashi let the water fall, he was greeted with the sight of Yuuko flying toward him with a flaming punch. He blocked it, and let out a grunt at feeling the fire burn his arms, then pushed Yuuko off. The Uchiha landed on the water, steam coming off the surface as fire chakra appeared in wisps around Yuuko.

Yuuko took a deep breath, and the council noticed waves of heat and even a bit of fire exit her mouth as she let the breath go. The ravenette resumed her fight with Inu, this time small bursts of flame accompanied her kicks and punches. Inu sighed as he once again was forced to only dodge. However, he soon found an opening to grab Yuuko's arm. The girl tried retaliating with another punch, which was also grabbed, "Gonna have to try something else Yuuko..." Said girl allowed a small smile to work it's way onto her face, and Inu immediately released her and jumped backward as a large gout of fire flew from Yuuko's mouth.

Inu raised an eyebrow as he landed, 'I certainly wasn't expecting that, how long have you been trying to work that out?"

Yuuko blushed a bit, "I've been working on it for the past year."

"Well, you're nearly out of chakra, so let's call this one, alright?" Yuuko nodded and walked back to her friends, passing Yasaka on the way.

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at Hiruzen, "That fire technique she used at the end looked almost like the Jyuken."

The aged Hokage chuckled, "She calls it **'Hi no Karada.'** Yuuko has an astounding fire nature, the strongest I've ever seen, unfortunately she has almost no talent in every other element. She changes all the chakra in her body to fire natured chakra, and using some theory from Jyuken, creates those fiery attacks. She can also build the chakra in her stomach not unlike using any other fire jutsu for a blast of fire, like you saw."

Chouza gave a hearty laugh, "I can already see it, the Dragon of Konoha, I like it!"

Danzo, who had stayed silent the entire time, chose that moment to speak up, "How long has she had her Sharingan?" Everyone turned toward him with surprise, then looked to Yuuko, who was glaring at Danzo with, sure enough, a fully matured Sharingan.

Hiruzen sighed, "Yuuko-chan was hoping to keep it a secret for a while longer... She awakened it the night of the massacre, the reason she kept having the incident repeated in her head over and over was that her Sharingan had activated and memorized the entire thing. She still wasn't used to it, nor did she know she could do it until her therapy sessions with Inoichi."

Inoichi nodded, taking everyone's attention, "Part of her therapy was to confront her memories of that night. I asked her to describe how she remembered feeling, as she talked, reliving the night, I noticed her eyes shifting between black and a dark red. I asked her to channel chakra into her eyes and there they were. I believe Inu-san is responsible for their growth though."

Danzo nodded and went back to watching the spar. Yasaka had been trading blows with Inu for a while, but she quickly disengaged and pulled out a sealing scroll, biting her thumb and activating it. A katana popped out of the seal, is was simple, but of good quality, Yasaka drew it and started battering Inu's kunai with a flurry of blows, pushing the ANBU back. After Inu regained his footing, he started on his own strikes, each of which Yasaka either blocked or deflected.

Tsume looked a bit confused, "She's playing a bit more defensively that I thought she would. Given her personality I thought she'd be trying to take Inu's head off..."

The Hokage smirked a bit, "Her style is normally very aggressive." As if to punctuate his words, after Inu let up for a second, Yasaka went back to hammering him with blows, "She likes to wear down her opponent, making them slip up, then when they do..." Sure enough, Inu's kunai was forced out of his hand, and Yasaka thrust her katana forward toward Inu's throat. Inu wasn't an ANBU for nothing however, as he pinned the sword between his palms, forcing it to the side to miss him. Inu kicked her away and jumped back to gain some distance.

Yasaka smirked as the threw a pair of shruriken, followed by a few handsigns, **"Shruriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** In a puff of smoke, the two shruriken multiplied into dozens. Inu readily deflected them, then dodged a Fuuma shruriken, before turning around and grabbing the wrist of the Yasaka it had turned into.

Inu tsk'd at her and shook a finger, "Did you really think that'd work a second time?"

Yasaka smirked, "Nope, but I thought this would!" Yasaka started to glow with a white light, **"Bunshin Daibakuha!"** Inu quickly kicked her away as the clone went up in a large explosion, throwing him back a bit. Inu landed hard on the ground and looked up to find Yasaka standing over him with her katana at his throat. He sighed and waved his hand, making Yasaka smirk as she walked back to her team, giving Naruto a high five along the way.

Chouza gained an appreciative look, "Well, looks like the rumors about her chakra capacity were true."

Shibi nodded and turned to Hiruzen, "I believe that Naruto is the most interesting one here. He isn't from any known clan, nor does he have the... special assets, Yasaka possesses, so I'm very curious to see what he can do." The others silently shared his curiosity.

Hiruzen was silently thinking, it might be better to just get it out in the open now, "Alright, what you're about to see can't be revealed to anyone. We'll want to keep this a secret for as long as we can." As everyone looked to him curiously, Hiruzen called out to Naruto, "Use them all! No need to hide it anymore!" Naruto gained a face-splitting grin at hearing those words. Once it became clear the Hokage wasn't going to elaborate, everyone turned to the field.

Naruto started off with an offensive technique, **"Doton: Doryuso!" **He slammed his hands into the ground, sending a wave of earth spikes at Inu, who quickly jumped into the air to avoid them. As he was in the air, Inu noticed Naruto smirking as he finished another set of handsigns, **"Raiton: Gian!"** A bolt of lightning shot from Naruto's mouth, headed straight for Inu.

Inu's eyes widened, before he gripped his wrist, channeling his own Lightning chakra into his hand, **"Raikiri!"** He used his own lightning covered hand to deflect the blast away from him, silently cursing himself for teaching Naruto so many ninjutsu. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, as soon as he landed, Naruto was upon him, throwing powerful punches and kicks.

Shikaku, who was actually paying attention for once, gave an impressed laugh, "Not a bad strategy, and he's pretty strong to be able to use a B-class Raiton technique with such precision."

Hiruzen chuckled a bit, "Just wait until you see this."

Inu finally managed to fend off Naruto's assault, only to realize there were five clones surrounding them in a circle. Naruto quickly ran away, and Kakashi realized all the clones were doing different signs, "Oh fuck me..."

**"Doton: Doryuso!"**

**"Raiton: Gian!"**

**"Futon: Daitoppa!"**

**"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"**

**"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!"**

Each clone sent a different technique toward Inu, who stood there for a second before they hit. A massive explosion erupted in the training ground as the techniques collided, the council even needing to shield themselves from the wind kicked up by it. After the dust settled, Naruto stood for a minute, wanting to make sure he- "Almost got me Naruto, If I hadn't substituted with a clone I could've been in real trouble there." Naruto spun around to see Inu standing there, "I can't help but think you went a little overboard though..."

Naruto gave his own smirk, "Well if it wasn't big and loud it wouldn't be a very good distraction now would it?" Inu raised an eyebrow, then felt the telltale poke of a kunai on his back.

Inu gave a shrug, "Can't argue with that... Nice work Naruto."

While Inu checked his students over, the Hokage was on the receiving end of some pointed looks, "Naruto possesses a very high affinity with all five elements. I as surprised as well..."

Tsume shook her head in disbelief, "That's impossible, to have all five natures be that strong?"

Hiashi crossed his arms, "Yet we've just witnessed it."

Hiruzen gave them all a serious look, especially to the thinking Danzo, "This can't be spread around, if this knowledge gets out, Naruto-kun could be in serious danger outside the village walls. Many people would stop at nothing to have someone with his ability." The council all nodded, but Danzo kept his contemplating look.

After the four were all checked over, Inu stood at attention in front of the council, with his students lined up next to him. Hiruzen walked over to them and cleared his throat, "After examining and testing you four, the council has unanimously decided that you pass with flying colors." He said with a proud smile. Naruto, Yasaka, Hinata, and Yuuko all smiled with happiness and pride as Hiruzen reached into his pocket and pulled out four Konoha Hitai-ite, "I never doubted you four, and I know you'll make me proud." He handed them their proof of triumph before turning to Inu, "I think they've earned a reward, eh Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded with a hidden smile and turned to his four new Genin, "Now that I'm your Sensei and will be a regular Jonin again, my real name is Kakashi Hatake. Pleasure to finally meet you face to face."

Hinata deadpanned a bit, "You're still wearing a mask Sensei..."

Said ANBU gave his signature eye smile, "Oh, well if you wanna see beneath it..." He reached up to the mask and brought it down... to reveal another mask underneath, "It's another mask."

Yasaka's eye twitched, "I can already tell this is gonna be annoying..."

Yuuko smiled a bit, and turned to Naruto, "Where should we go to celebrate?"

Naruto thought for a minute, "How about... Ramen?" As soon as he said it, Yasaka took off in a blur toward their favorite stand, "Hey! No fair dammit!" Naruto said as he ran after her.

Kakashi sighed and waved to Yuuko and Hinata, "We'd better get there before they eat the Ichiraku family out of house and home..."

* * *

_-Ichiraku Ramen, sometime later-_

Yasaka happily slurped up a mouthful of her favorite food, relishing in the greatness that was ramen. The owner of the stand Teuchi brought out Kakashi's bowl and laughed at Yasaka's usual gusto, "Eat up you five, it's on the house tonight, to celebrate out favorite customers growing up!"

Ayame walked out of the back with a smile, "I can't believe you four are Genin already! You haven't even set foot in the academy!" She gushed as she moved around the counter to give them all a large hug, "Oh it seems like only yesterday Naruto and Yasaka first came in here!"

The Ichiraku family would always have a special place in Yasaka's heart, they were the first people after Naruto to treat her like a person...

* * *

_-Flashback, seven years ago-_

_A five year old Naruto walked into the ramen stand, he headed up to the counter and spoke to Ayame, "Excuse me, can I have two bowls of Miso ramen to go please?" He asked as he handed her his money._

_Ayame was surprised to see him come in all by himself, but figured he lived close by, she took the money with a smile and started on the ramen. As she did, she couldn't help but overhear some things other customers were saying, "Isn't that the boy who's always around the demon girl?"_

_"She must've tricked him into being friendly with her!"_

_"That poor boy needs someone to set him straight before something bad happens to him!"_

_Ayame noticed the anger on Naruto's face, and was about to say something until Teuchi walked in, "I think we have a rodent problem... I swear I just saw something run behind a dumpster in the alley..." He said before going back to the kitchen._

_Ayame thought for a minute before turning to Naruto, "You can go get your friend, I swear we won't hurt her."_

_Naruto's eyes widened a bit, he stared at her for a minute before leaving the stand. Ayame sighed, thinking he just left, then he cae back, leading a blonde girl his age, who seemed very scared to be there. The customers went dead silent as they noticed Yasaka, who flinched at the attention. _

_Teuchi walked back up, "What happened, it's quiet as a grave up here?" He then noticed Ayame asking the anxious Yasaka what she wanted to eat as the two kids sat on their stools. When Yasaka noticed him staring, she thought she was about to be kicked out, so she made to hop off the stool. Teuchi quickly stopped her, "Oh no, you're more than welcome here! I was just surprised is all." The other customers started making a fuss, calling Yasaka a demon and asking why Teuchi would allow her in the restaurant, "Get out, all of you, now. She's a hungry little girl, not a monster. Now leave." The customers were up in arms, but left nonetheless._

_Yasaka was wide eyed as she watched the scene, "Thank you..." Naruto smiled, happy that they finally had a place they could go that wouldn't kick his friend out._

* * *

As the five celebrated into the night, Hiruzen sat in his office, preparing for a hard day. He'd promised himself he'd tell Yasaka about her burden and her mother when she became a Genin, and now that day had come. He would wait until tomorrow, he didn't want to ruin their celebration.

This would be a hard blow to the girl. She'd always wondered who her family was, and he'd had to lie to her every time... She'd suffered so much because of a burden she'd never asked for, and it probably wasn't going to get better anytime soon...

Hiruzen sat back in his chair, holding onto a scroll with the Uzumaki seal on it, "I'm getting too damn old for this..."

* * *

_-The next day-_

As Naruto and Yasaka were on their way to the Hokage monument, Yuuko was sitting at the dining table of her family home, waiting for her twin to get up. She needed to tell him about her becoming a Genin, he knew she trained with friends, but she still hadn't told him about the test or the advanced Genin training. She and Sasuke had grown apart after the massacre, and they rarely spoke to each other. Yuuko wanted their brother to pay for what he did, but Sasuke seemed downright obsessed with it. He never wanted to train with her, no matter how many times she invited him, pretty much the only times they were together were breakfast and dinner, Yuuko would cook something for them and they'd eat in mostly silence. She had tried to make conversation, asking him about his day, his training, but he'd just grunt and shrug her off. Yuuko didn't want to lose her relationship with her twin, but she was finding fewer and fewer reasons to hold onto it. Sasuke seemed content to train the whole day, he never started any conversations with her...

Speak of the devil, Sasuke walked in to he room and grunted in acknowledgement, they ate in silence, then after they'd finished Yuuko spoke up, "Sasuke, I need to talk to you about something."

Sasuke just grunted, "Not now, we should be training for when we enter the academy." He started for the door.

"That's just it, I wanted you to know that I won't be going to the academy." She was about to explain, but didn't have a chance.

"WHAT!?" Sasuke yelled as he turned around and glared at her, "What do you mean you aren't going to the academy!?"

Yuuko flinched a bit, "Sasuke calm down, just let me explain!"

"Explain what!? That you're leaving me to avenge our family by myself!?"

"That's not what I'm doing, please just listen to what I have to say!"

He turned back to the door and took a breath, "I don't want to hear your excuses. I should've known this would happen, I can't count on anyone but myself! If you want our family's murderer to go free then fine!"

"Sasuke I want Itachi to pay as much as you do, I just..." Yuuko pleased as she reached out to his shoulder.

Sasuke slapped her hand away, _'Don't say it...'_ a voice in his head pleaded with him, _'If you say it we might lose our only family left!'_ "Maybe you should've jumped off that cliff." He felt a pang in his heart as he said that and walked away. He quickly buried it, he didn't need her, he could do this on his own.

Yuuko stood there in her once happy home, her hands over her mouth as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't remain standing and collapsed into a chair, softly sobbing to herself.

* * *

_-Hokage's office-_

Yasaka and Naruto stood in front of Hiruzen, "So, what do you need Jiji?" Yasaka asked, not liking the melancholy look on the old man's face.

Hiruzen sighed and looked her in the eyes, "I'm very sorry Yasaka-chan, but I lied to you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean Jiji? Lied to her how?" Yasaka was just as lost as he was. Hiruzen merely handed her a picture, it was of a beautiful redheaded woman with violet eyes, she was wearing a red kimono, and was clearly very pregnant. The two stared at it for a minute, Yasaka going through everything she'd asked the Hokage or that he'd told her...

She focused on the eyes, something about them was familiar... Then it clicked, they were _her_ eyes, the same ones she saw in the mirror. Yasaka looked at her pregnant belly, then dropped the photo, letting it flutter to the floor. Yasaka's eyes watered as she looked up at Hiruzen, "Is she... Is that my Kaa-san?" At Hiruzen's nod, tears flowed freely from Yasaka's eyes and Naruto went to hug her, "Why... You told me you didn't know who my parents were! You knew how much I wanted to know, so why!?" Yasaka asked through her tears as she clung to Naruto.

Hiruzen looked down in shame, "I can never tell you how sorry I am Yasaka, but it was one of your parents last wishes. I wouldn't tell you about them until you reached certain ages or ranks. If anything were to ever happen to them, then you were to learn about your mother when you became a Genin, and your father when you became a Chunin."

Naruto and Yasaka had moved to sitting on the couch in Hiruzen's office, "Why would they do that?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Your mother was named Kushina Uzumaki, the last living member of the Uzumaki clan. They lived in the nation of Uzu no Kuni, but were wiped out by a few other villages decades ago. They were feared for their sealing prowess and incredible strength. Since you would be the last Uzumaki if she died, your mother wanted you to be old enough to understand what it meant." Hiruzen paused to let them absorb the information before continuing, "As for your father, he had, and still has, many enemies. Enemies who would kill you without a second thought if they knew who you were, so when you make Chunin, or turn 18, I will tell you about him, of that I promise you."

Yasaka watched as he picked up a scroll, about the size of a summoning contract, it had waves on the border and the Uzumaki seal on the front, "This seal was left to you by your mother. It contains all the techniques, Fuinjutsu notes, and weapons to be recovered from Uzu. They belong to you now, Yasaka-chan."

Yasaka bit her thumb and swiped her finger over the seal, opening the scroll. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a seal labeled 'Yume'. Yasaka channeled some chakra into it and out popped a beautiful katana. It's handle as wrapped in dark purple cloth, the tsuba was in the shape of a five pointed star, with intricate carvings all over, and the sheath was made of fine lacquered wood, painted black. Yasaka drew the blade from it's sheath, marveling at the sword, it was gleaming like liquid silver, but the cutting edge seemed to have the barest purple tint, "It's beautiful..."

Hiruzen nodded, "This is Yume, one of your mother's swords. Her other sword, Akumu, was never recovered." He let Yasaka sheath the sword before continuing, "As much as I'd love to stop here, thee is one more thing to be addressed. The reason people call you a monster." He instantly had Yasaka's attention again.

"I'm sure you know about the Kyuubi attack 12 years ago. What they don't tell children in school is that the Yondaime couldn't kill the fox, he could only seal it away. Though it's not that simple, the Kyuubi could only be sealed into an Uzumaki, they are the only ones with a strong enough body to contain it. Furthermore, only a child would work, because their body would be able to adapt to the Kyuubi inside them." Hiruzen began.

"Stop..." Yasaka said, "It was me, wasn't it? I have the Kyuubi inside me, don't I? That's why everyone hates me..."

Hiruzen sighed once again, "I'm sorry Yasaka... Were there any other option the Yondaime would've taken it in an instant. The Yondaime wanted you to be seen as a hero, treated with respect, I felt that people wouldn't think that way, so I tried to keep your status a secret, unfortunately, someone let it slip. You should know one more thing, your mother was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi before you." Yasaka's eyes widened as she held Yume close to her, "When a female Jinchuriki gives birth, their seal is weakened, I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly what happened, but the Kyuubi broke free, and your mother wouldn't have survived taking it back into herself, so you were their only option."

Yasaka was silent as she processed everything. She then let out a hollow chuckle, "So it's true... I really am a monster..."

Naruto turned her head to him, "No you are not! How many times do I have to tell you to stop saying that!? It doesn't matter what you have inside you, you're Yasaka, the Kyuubi is just your tag-along! You didn't ask for this, so don't you ever start thinking of yourself as a monster or demon ever again!" Yasaka sniffled as her tears returned. She nodded her head as she leaned it onto Naruto's shoulder.

"As hard as it may be to believe, becoming a Jinchuriki may have been for the best." Seeing their unbelieving looks, Hiruzen elaborated, "When you were a baby, you were born with a long thought incurable and very rare birth defect. You were very weak and frail, even touching you was dangerous. You could barely move and even the slightest touch seemed to bruise you, it was only after a month in the high security wing of the hospital that you showed improvement. I was running myself ragged trying to get my old student Tsunade Senju to come back and see if she could help you, I thought if anyone could find a way to cure it, she could. However, it wasn't needed, doctors I trusted confirmed that the Kyuubi was healing you, making you stronger and healthier. When you were three months old, you were as healthy, or maybe even more so, as any other child your age. Truth be told, if the Kyuubi wasn't sealed into you, you may not have lived to see your first birthday. Even if you'd lived by some miracle, you would've been in a wheelchair, needing around the clock care for most of your life."

Yasaka and Naruto seemed to be stunned by that, Yasaka was incredibly strong, in more ways than one. If there was one thing that Yasaka hated with a passion, it was being called weak, anyone who did was met with swift, anger fueled, revenge. Yasaka couldn't imagine a world where she couldn't be a Shinobi, or one where she would be restricted to a bed her whole life, "Well... Maybe the big fox is good for something."

Hiruzen took a minute to let them think on everything he'd said, "I am sorry for hiding this from you, would you ever be able to forgive me?" Naruto and Yasaka looked at each other, with Naruto giving her a reassuring grin.

Yasaka stood up gripping Yume, "I'm still mad at you for lying to me and hiding things from me, but I get why you did it. It was my parents who wanted these things kept from me until now, so I'm more mad at them, not a lot though... Jiji, did they... want me?" She asked with hesitation.

Hiruzen dropped to his knees and put his hands on her shoulders, "Yasaka-chan, the day your mother and father found out they were pregnant with you was the happiest day of their lives. They both gave their lives to protect you, and if they could see you now, they would be more proud of you than I could possibly imagine. I can still remember how giddy Kushina was... She didn't want to know anything except that her baby, or babies, were healthy. She wanted to be surprised en every way possible." The aged Hokage hugged Yasaka for a minute, then released her, "Their bodies were never recovered, but if you want to visit your mother's grave, it's in the clan section of the cemetery, there's a special Uzumaki plot next to the Senju plot. Now, I think this has been a rough time, so why don't you two head home now? Also don't forget to be here for your first mission on Monday." The two nodded and left, Naruto with his arm around the shoulder of the still sniffling Yasaka.

* * *

_-Konoha Residential District-_

"Well, today's been kind of a shit-show, wouldn't you say?" Naruto asked as he and Yasaka walked back to their apartment from the cemetery. They weren't there for long, Yasaka had simply stared at the grave for a minute before leaving in silence.

Said blonde nodded, "Yeah, but at least I know why everyone hates me, and I learned I did have parents, and they really wanted me." She was a bag of mixed emotions, and she was too emotionally exhausted to deal with it, right now she wanted to sleep... Unfortunately, she wouldn't have the chance as they arrived at their apartment door to find Yuuko sitting on the ground next to their door, an all to familiar look in her eyes. Yasaka quickly dropped next to her, "Yuuko-chan? What happened?"

Yuuko looked over to her with tear stains on her cheeks, "I can't go back there... I can't go back to the compound again..."

Naruto walked over and unlocked their door, "You take her inside and take care of her, I'm gonna go get Hinata, we might need her for this..." Hinata had taken what they'd call the 'mom' role in their group, always scolding them for things and comforting them. Yasaka nodded as Naruto sped on his way to the Hyuga compound.

Twenty minutes later found all four members of Team 7 sitting in Naruto and Yasaka's kitchen, Yuuko slowly sipping at a cup of tea, having just told her teammates what happened between her and her brother. Yasaka was on the warpath and headed for the door, "I'll kill him! I'll hang him by his entrails!"

Yuuko quickly grabbed her arm, "Please don't, Sasuke is just angry, I'm sure he didn't mean it. I'll talk to him after he's had a chance to cool down." Yasaka sighed but relented, Yuuko gave her a small smile and sat back down, "I'm sorry to impose, but could I stay with you two for a few days?"

Naruto took a sip of his own tea, "Of course, you can stay here for as long as you'd like." They had no shortage on room, especially since they slept on futons. Their apartment was pretty good sized, the kitchen, dining room, and living room were all one large room, with a counter to separate the kitchen from the rest of it, and stool chairs on both sides so it could act as a dining table if desired, which was how they were sat down now. The living room had carpeted floors while the entire rest of the house was hardwood, speaking of the living room, a large bit of it was taken up by a grey sectional sofa, the two sections were at a right angle to each other and facing toward the rest of the apartment. There were a couple chairs, a coffee table, and a TV, off the living room was a small hallway leading to the bathroom, and a small library/study room on the right side, and the bedroom on the left, lastly the walls were painted a warm cream color "I'll go grab one of the extra futons for you." With that, Naruto headed back to the bedroom.

Hinata looked around the apartment for a minute, "Now I feel a bit left out! With you three living here and me at the Hyuga compound..." She said with play sadness.

Yasaka rolled her eyes, "Well you're welcome here too, I've heard of some cases where teams moved in together to bond. Maybe you could convince your Tou-san to let you stay here for a few days every week?" It was clear by the look on Yasaka's face that she wasn't taking no for an answer.

* * *

_-The next_ Monday-

The four members of Team 7 had all woken up bright an early at 6 am to get ready for their first day as an official team. Yasaka had cooked up a large breakfast for them and they were all ready to meet Kakashi-sensei at the Hokage tower at 7. They had all finally put their Hitai-ite's on, Naruto's around his right arm, Hinata's around her neck, Yasaka's on er left arm, and Yuuko's secured to her waist. Once they were all dressed and ready to go, they headed to the Hokage tower and waited for their sensei...

They waited.

Waited some more.

Okay he was doing this on purpose...

After three hours of waiting, Kakashi finally showed up, now wearing the standard Jonin uniform, with his eye covered by his headband, "Yo!" He tilted his head to the side to dodge a stab from Yasaka, "Hey now! What's with the violence?"

Yasaka pointed Yume at him threateningly, "You're three hours late, what the hell!" Hinata, Yuuko, and Naruto were also glaring at him.

Kakashi merely eye-smiled, "Sorry, I guess I got a little lost on the road of life." His student's eyes twitched and he let out a small chuckle, "Well if everyone's ready, then let's head inside and get started, you four must've been bouncing off the walls this morning waiting for this." Once they started into the tower, all annoyance at their sensei was lost, their heads now filled with visions of the amazing things they'd do!

...

"CATCHING A CAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"

* * *

**Chapter End.**

Okay, hopefully it was good. I feel like I may have rushed some things, but it ended up being much longer than I thought it'd be. So, Naruto, Hinata, Yuuko, and Yasaka became Genin before the rest of their generation even entered the academy! Needless to say, this means they won't meet the rookie 9 for a while.

Now, I was thinking of having the next chapter be a timeskip to when they're 16 and Naruto canon starts. The rookie 9 are graduating and Team 7 have been Genin for four years. However, I can leave the 12 for a chapter or two as they go on their first real mission, we'll see, but feel free to drop me a pm or review to tell me which you guys wanna see.

I don't think there's much else to say, so tell me what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello there! Welcome to Chapter two! I did end up changing the name after all, I kinda like this one better.

As I'm writing this I haven't had anybody tell me they wanna see more of the younger Team 7 (Last minute side note, someone actually said they wanted to see the younger characters doing stuff, but I already had this mostly written when I saw it, sorry!), so I guess we'll skip ahead a bit to Naruto canon. I'm going to try and take more time with this chapter, the last one was lacking in character development in my opinion, I just wanted to get all the ideas on paper before they went away. So this one will be more introducing the characters as they'll be for a while, and fleshing out some details.

In case I forget to mention, the Konoha twelve are all in their Shippuden outfits. Also, a bit of clarification on the advanced Genin test, it only goes into action if a Jonin finds a whole _team_ of kids strong enough to graduate early. So, while Kakashi and Itachi graduated from the academy way early, there weren't enough kids at that level or close to it to make a full team, so they weren't put on an advanced Genin team.

As a last note before we get started, I'm thinking of adding omakes to the ends of the chapters, just simple scenes I wanted to put in but couldn't fit into the chapter. Maybe they could have scenes with the younger team? They're still in the works though, there probably won't be one this chapter.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.**

**Chapter 2: The years have been kind.**

* * *

_-Konohagakure no Sato-_

Naruto had been hunting his prey for a while now, stalking through the streets and keeping his eyes open for any candidate. Then, after what seemed like hours, he found the perfect mark, so he set to work. He pulled out a scroll and unsealed it's contents, carefully crafting his tools and making his plan. He walked over to the edge of a building, calculating his approach, and after seeing his quarry distracted, decided to act. He created a clone and made it Henge into a random form, sending it along with it's supplies. Naruto held his own weapon and waited for his time.

A particularly arrogant merchant was strolling through the Konoha market district as if he owned it, pushing people out of his way and degrading the local stores. He would get his comeuppance though, of that Naruto was sure. Once everything was in place, his clone acted. The merchant yelped in fright as someone threw a balloon filled with neon blue paint at him, covering his back, "Ah! Who did that!? I demand to know!" However, he found everyone was just as surprised as he was. He took a step to track down the vandal, but stepped on a conveniently placed rake, comically flying up and smacking him in the face. He reeled and ended up falling over onto his back.

Naruto could barely hold his grin in place as he hefted the pie in his hands, carelessly tossing it into the air, "For the final touch!" There was silence in the market as everyone watched the merchant groan in pain. All was dead silent for a few seconds, before a pie fell from the sky and landed square on his face.

That did it, the entire market erupted into laughter, Naruto himself having to hold his sides as he cackled like a madman, "The pie to the face always gets 'em! I don't care how old it is that shit's funny!" Naruto spent the next few minutes rolling around on the rooftop, before lying on bis back, watching the clouds as the last few laughs left him. He'd originally started pranking on Kakashi's orders, he called it stealth/sabotage training. Really he just wanted them to help him get back at a guy who'd given him a raw deal, but Naruto discovered he had a taste for it. Whenever he had a day off and needed some laughter he'd go looking for some asshole to prank.

He had changed a lot in the last four years of his Genin career. For one thing he'd grown taller, now standing at an even six feet tall, and his hair had also grown. His white spiky locks now fell down over his forehead, with the back falling to the back of his neck. (Imagine Dangai Ichigo's hair from Bleach as a base.) He was wearing a simple white long sleeved shirt under an open navy blue zip up jacket with red trim, his hitai-ate still tied around his arm. On his lower half, he wore black shinobi pants tucked into a pair of black shinobi sandals. (Basically his "_Naruto: The Last"_ outfit, with the mentioned color changes and relocated headband.) To finish off his outfit, wrapped around his neck outside the jacket, was the white cloth he was wrapped in when he was left in the orphanage. He'd used some of his mission money to have it turned into a scarf, Naruto supposed he wanted to keep the thing because it was the only link to whatever family he had, at least he thought it was...

As Naruto stared up at the clouds, he heard someone clear their voice beside him. Naruto sat up and turned to see Hinata standing there with her 12 year old little sister, Hanabi. The Hyuga heiress had certainly grown up, all three of the girls had become more womanly over the years, but Hinata certainly had more luck. She stood at 5' 5", and her hair was now longer, reaching down to mid-back in a hime style cut. She was wearing a black and yellow outfit, consisting of a sleeveless martial arts top, calf length black pants, and black shinobi sandals. To top it all off, she was wearing a white jacket with blue trim an the Hyuga emblem sewn onto the right shoulder, her hitai-ate around her neck, and black gloves. (Her outfit is like Fei from Digimon Cyber Sleuth, just midriff covered, the sandals, and not as... conforming to her assets.) Hanabi was wearing a simple green Yukata as she tried to stifle her own laughter.

Hinata gave Naruto a deadpan look, "Imagine my surprise when I was taking Hanabi-can to the market on my day off and I see you pulling another prank."

Naruto gained a sheepish grin, "Ah come on Hinata-chan, if you'd seen this ass-" He was cut off as Hinata appeared in front of him and hit him in the chest, "Ow! What was that for!?" He moaned, rubbing the spot she'd hit.

A light glare was what answered him as Hinata held her finger up, like she was talking to a child, "No swearing in front of Hanabi-chan! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Hanabi giggled a bit at their antics, "It's not like I don't know what they're saying Onee-chan, plus Yasaka-nee is a lot worse than Naruto-nii. Last time she took me to lunch, she taught me a ton of curse words!" She then stiffened as Hinata rounded on her with her patented 'Big Sister Glare'.

Hinata stood up and placed her hands on her hips, "Well, you aren't going to repeat any of them, are you?" Hanabi quickly shook her head, "Good! Now then, after we get done at the market today, I need to go have a talk with Yasaka-chan about teaching you to curse." Hinata seemed to realize something as she turned back to Naruto, "Where is Yasaka-chan anyway? Doesn't she like to help you with these?"

"She went to go talk to Jiji, she wanted to know if her Kaa-san left behind any tips on how to use their chains. She's trying to figure out more creative ways to use them." Naruto answered as he resealed his pranking supplies, "We're gonna meet at home, then start our little party once Yuuko brings the food, you remembered right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't forget our monthly get together!" After saying that, Hinata felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Hanabi with a hesitant smile.

Hinata didn't have a chance to speak before Naruto, "Of course you're invited too Hanabi-chan, we wouldn't leave you all alone in that stuffy compound!" The young Hyuga nodded with an excited smile, "Maybe next time you and me have some time I can teach you how to pull off stuff like this!" Hanabi cheered with a pumped fist as Hinata sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Well at least you didn't paint the Hokage monument again..." She conceded, that was a mess, ninja chasing him and Yasaka all over the village, and the Hokage giving them a stern talking to about vandalizing a tribute to the village's heroes.

Naruto shrugged, "Yeah, that one didn't pan out as well as I'd hoped it would. I like seeing the faces of the people I prank, and the people around it. When we did that, I didn't get to savor the faces of all the people who looked at it for the first time! ...Granted the guys chasing us were pretty hilarious but it got old real quick."

* * *

"I see... I've been thinking of them as just chains, meant for restraining, but I could use them to stab, defend... Maybe I should think of them more like spears than chains..." Yasaka said to herself, she was currently standing in the Hokage's office, and had just finished listening to Hiruzen talk about some of the ways her mother had used her chains.

Yasaka had grown in height the least of her friends, standing at 5'2". Her blonde hair now reached down to her butt, and her features had gained a sharp elegance to them. Her temper had more than grown though, it had become legendary to the people who knew her. It took quite a bit to get her completely steamed, but when she was everything within a five mile radius got the hell away. She was wearing a modified Miko outfit with the metal plate from her hitai-ate sewed onto the right side of the chest, and the Uzumaki spiral sewn onto the left. Instead of a pair of hakama, she was wearing a mid-thigh length red pleated skirt with a pair of bicycle shorts of equal length, white open toed stockings that went up to just below the knee, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of sandals like Naruto's. Lastly, Yume rested on her left side, secured with an orange sash.

The aged Hokage smiled fondly at her, "I have no doubt you'll figure out how to make those chains a valuable weapon. The Kongo Fusa is an incredibly versatile technique, and mastering it won't be easy, but I have faith you can do it."

The blonde bowed to Hiruzen and was about to leave, until someone burst through the door, tossing a kunai at the Hokage. Yasaka quickly drew Yume and sliced it out of the air, then realized it was just made of wood, and not even sharp. Then a young boy, about 12, ran into the room, "This time I've got you old man!" Yasaka was about to interfere, but he got tripped up on his scarf and fell face-first into the ground. Yasaka blinked a few times wondering what was happening before he got up. The boy looked around in embarrassment before his eyes landed on Yasaka, who was just sheathing Yume, "Hey, you tripped me! Don't you know not to interfere in a one on one battle!?"

Yasaka took Yume from her sash and bopped him on the head with it's sheath, "You tripped over your own scarf, kid. What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be in school or something?"

As she spoke, a Jonin appeared in the doorway, wearing the standard uniform minus the flack jacket, a bandanna, and round black glasses, "Honorable Grandson, please don't run off like that!" He quickly bowed to Hiruzen, who was somewhere between amused and exasperated, "I am terribly sorry Hokage-sama, I'll endeavor to keep your grandson in line in the future."

A delicate eyebrow rose as Yasaka eyed the kid before looking to Hiruzen, "This kid's your grandson Jiji?"

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, he is. Yasaka Uzumaki, meet Konohamaru Sarutobi. Who I believe should be in class right now..."

The now named Konohamaru crossed his arms, _'Great, now that she knows who I am, I'm gonna have to deal with the bowing and the __apologizing and the-' _His thoughts were cut off as he felt himself get bopped on the head by Yume once more, this time with a bit more force.

Yasaka ignored the Jonin's shocked panic, "If Hokage-sama is your grandfather then you should understand the importance of his job. Don't go bothering him with pointless interruptions." She turned back to Hiruzen with a little bow, "Thank you for your time Jiji, I'll see you later." With that, the blonde Jinchuriki headed out, leaving the three in the office, though Konohamaru's eyes followed her with curiosity.

The Jonin bowed to Hiruzen repeatedly, "I am so sorry about this Hokage-sama, I assure you I will take full responsibility for everything and will not let that girl go unpunished for laying hands on the Honorable Grandson!" He rambled for a bit before Hiruzen stopped him.

"Ebisu, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but..." Ebisu followed his gaze, finding Konohamaru missing, as he freaked out for a second, Hiruzen sighed, "I believe he went out after Yasaka-chan." The now panicking man promptly bolted out of the room.

Hiruzen let out a little chuckle, "Well at least my days are never boring, maybe Yasaka will be good to Konohamaru-kun..." His head was then filled with visions of Konohamaru insulting Yasaka, and the angry sword-wielding blonde chasing him through the village like a cat with a mouse, "Well... at least he'll survive."

* * *

As Yasaka walked through the village, she became increasingly aware of someone following her, badly. She sighed, she still had a few hours before she was to meet Naruto and Yuuko, so what the hell? She turned around and walked over to a box painted like a rock with two eye holes and promptly kicked it over, revealing a surprised Konohamaru, "Rocks aren't square, nor do they have eye holes. Now why are you following me?"

Konohamaru got over his surprise and stood, giving her a smirk, "You're just as strong as I thought! I want you to train me, and I won't take no for an answer!"

"No." He face-faulted as Yasaka walked away, not even sparing him a glance.

He quickly got up and followed her, "Come on, please? I don't want you to train me all the time, just teach me a few things, please?"

Yasaka pinched the bridge of her nose, "Why do you want me to teach you? Don't you have that Jonin as a private tutor or something?" She was starting to think this was one of those arrogant kid situations...

"Because you're the only person who doesn't look at me differently!" Okay, maybe she was wrong, "Everyone treats me like royalty or something because the Hokage is my grandfather, but I hate it! People don't see me as Konohamaru, they just see the Hokage's grandson... You didn't though! You knew who I was but you treated me like you would've anyone else! I wanna get strong enough and become the Hokage so people will know who _I_ am, not who my family is. Ebisu goes easy on me and coddles me, so I need you to train me, please!"

Yasaka stopped and turned to him, there was certainly a fire in his eyes. She stared at him for a minute before continuing her walk, Konohamaru looked down in defeat until he heard Yasaka's voice, "Are you coming? We can't very well train in the middle of the street." Konohamaru looked back up with surprise, before it was replaced with a smile and he ran to catch up to her.

* * *

_\- Training Ground 7 - _

When the two arrived at the training ground, Yasaka turned to her new student, "First things first, a piece of advice from someone who knows a bit of what you're going through. I won't tell you why, but a large number of people in this village think of me as a monster, and they have since the day I was born." Konohamaru's eyes widened, "While I don't know exactly how you feel, it's close enough, people don't see Yasaka Uzumaki when they look at me." After seeing his nod and making sure he was listening, Yasaka continued, "There will always be people who see you as your grandfather's grandson, and not you. People will see what they want to see and you can't change their mind. Even if you become Hokage, some will continue to compare you to Hokage-sama."

Konohamaru didn't look happy with what she said, but he was still listening, "The key to dealing with them, is to say simply, fuck 'em." He was clearly taken aback at her choice of words, "If they refuse to see you for who you are, then you don't need them in your life, and they don't deserve your attention. Instead of trying to make everyone acknowledge you, find the special people in your life who do know you, friends, family, they are the ones you need. As long as you have those few precious people, then you will be more than fulfilled. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

He nodded, then looked up at her with a determined look, "Yeah, I do, but I still want to be the Hokage! Even if people don't acknowledge me, I want to protect my home!"

Yasaka gained a small smile, "There's nothing wrong with that, it's a fine dream. Still, being Hokage is much more difficult than you know, it's not all about strength. Sandaime-sama is the Hokage not just because he's strong, but because he's wise, intelligent, and knows that he needs to do whatever it takes to protect the village. Just keep what I said in mind, okay?" She then turned to the treeline, "You can come out now, I know you're there."

Konohamaru jumped as Ebisu dropped into the training ground, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you noticed me, many Shinobi in this village have been talking about your team's exploits." He said with a small smile before looking to Konohamaru, "I would like to apologize Honor- Konohamaru. I had thought I was just showing proper respect, and I didn't notice how much you disliked it. I suppose I wasn't training you to the best of my ability because I was afraid of pushing you too far... How about we start over? My name is Ebisu." He said as he held out his hand.

Konohamaru grasped it and shook with a smile, "Konohamaru Sarutobi! Nice to meet you!"

Yasaka smirked to herself, "Well, looks like my work here is done." As she walked away, she called over her shoulder with a wave, "I expect you to have that hat on soon Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru waved back at her, "Thanks Aneki! I'll make you proud!"

Yasaka stopped walking for a second, "Oh, by the way, my team and I are having a little party tonight, you wanna come?" Konohamaru talked with Ebisu for a minute before running over to her.

The blonde jinchuriki headed through the forest toward her home with konohamaru, content with how her day had gone so far, _**"Aw, is the kit the kit getting soft?"**_

The blonde girl grimaced as the demonic voice entered her ear, _"I have nothing to say to you, Kyuubi. I thought we'd established our relationship last time. You are stuck inside me, and will allow me the use of your chakra when I need it to ensure our continued survival. We don't need to banter."_

_**"Humph, you're no fun... At least I could get a rise out of your mother... I remember out deal perfectly well kit. I have no wish to die, I promise you... But just remember, if you slip, I'll be right here, all to happy to take over."**_ Kyuubi said from the seal, clearly annoyed at not getting her angry.

_"You remember, fox. If you ever try to take me over or hurt my friends, then I'll come into that seal and kill you myself."_ Yasaka said with a steel edge to her voice

Kyuubi's resulting chuckle was sinister, _**"I look forward to it..."**_

"Um... You okay, Aneki?" Konohamaru asked, he'd seen her face become hard and serious as the grave.

Yasaka shook her head and gave a small smile, "Sorry, just had some unpleasant thoughts drift through my head."

* * *

Yuuko Uchiha was in a pickle... hmm, pickle sounded good... She was currently sitting at a small table and staring at the menu of the Akimichi family barbecue restaurant. There were so many choices, each one looking more enticing than the last, "Hmm..."

Yuuko's manerisms hadn't changed much, she still didn't talk much and when she did, it was in a soft, low tone. She had grown to a respectable 5'6", her hair was hanging down to between her shoulder blades, and her features had only improved. Yuuko's new outfit consisted of a black and white sleeveless dress with a white fur collar that went down to mid-thigh, with black skintight pants underneath. She was also wearing black fingerless gloves, a black and white ribbon around each arm, black ninja sandals, and her hitai-ate around her waist like a belt. (Her looks are still based on Yuuko Kamishiro from Digimon: Cyber Sleuth, I just really like the designs in it. I tried to rethink her normal outfit into something more befitting a shinobi, since I couldn't picture her in my head wearing anything else, hopefully it works, might change it later if it doesn't though.)

Her musings were interrupted as Choza walked over to her with a knowing smile, "Having trouble choosing again Yuuko-san?" Seeing her dejected nod, he chuckled, "If you want we can do party orders, they have a bit of everything on them, so you don't have to decide between anything."

"Ah! That sounds great, thank you Choza-sama." She said as her eyes sparkled.

Choza laughed and put a hand on her shoulder, "No problem, and please, just Choza when we're out of the official setting." He took on a joking tone as he walked back toward the kitchen, "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were a secret Akimichi!"

Yuuko smiled at the joke before looking around the room while she walked over to the counter near the entrance to wait. Soon however, she heard a small group enter the restaurant, "I still don't see why we have to celebrate like this... It's too troublesome..." A lazy voice drawled.

The last female Uchiha turned to the entrance and saw who could only be the second generation Ino-Shika-Cho walk into the restaurant, now sporting brand new hitai-ate. It was very surreal for her, to know that they probably just passed their Genin exams, yet she'd been one for four years. Maybe she should go and congratulate Sasuke? Soon, one of the team members noticed her and walked over, "Hello Yuuko! Getting lunch like us?" Choji asked with a friendly smile, he had met Yuuko a little less than a year ago while she was having dinner, and instantly challenged her to an eating match, which he then lost. After that, he seemed to have a bit of a crush on the black haired girl, though it went away after a bit and they were now on pretty friendly terms.

Yuuko nodded, "Hello Choji, I'm just waiting for a party order, my team and I are having a little get-together tonight." While he knew she was a Genin, he assumed she graduated a year before them, and Yuuko simply didn't correct him. She hated to seem like she was bragging, "Are these the members of your new team?"

Choji nodded and waved them over, "Yeah, the three of us are team 10 as of today! We just got out of class and headed here to celebrate, this is Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you in the future." Yuuko said with a little bow.

Ino, who had been looking between them for a few minutes, decided to speak up, "So, how do you two know each other?" She asked with a conspiratory gleam in her eye.

"I first met Yuuko when she was in here getting lunch about a year ago, and when I saw her skill, I had to challenge her to an eating competition!" Choji explained with a fond smile.

Ino seemed mortified, and even Shikamaru was surprised, "You challenged her to an eating competition!? Choji what were you thinking! I mean, look at her, that figure is to die for, why would you do that!?" She then turned to Yuuko, "Speaking of which, what kind of diet are you on, because it must be amazing!"

Choji lowered his head shame, "She bested me..."

Shikamaru's head snapped up as he stared disbelievingly at Choji, Ino's face much the same, "I'm sorry... What was that Choji?" The Nara heir asked.

The Akimichi heir's fist was clenched, "She ate me under the table, I never stood a chance..." He picked his head up and with fire in his eyes pointed dramatically at Yuuko, "However, I have been training! I challenge you once again Yuuko, and this time I shall not lose!"

Yuuko merely nodded, "Okay."

* * *

_\- Fifteen minutes later - _

Shikamaru Nara was a smart guy, hell most people would call him a genius, his ability to process information was second to none in his class. However, the sight that lay before him sent his mind reeling, he couldn't fathom what he'd just witnessed. Choji had fallen back, staring up at the ceiling, barely able to move from the sheer amount of food he'd eaten.

However, that wasn't what stunned him, no what got him was the fact that Yuuko was _still eating!_ The revenette finished off another plate of barbecue, and put it at the top of a two foot tall stack next to her, "I think I'm full now."

Ino's jaw was on the floor as she stared at Yuuko, who didn't even look like she'd gained anything from it! She couldn't hold it anymore, "How in the hell can you possibly eat that much!? What kind of insane workout plan do you put yourself through to eat that much and keep that figure!?"

Yuuko shrugged, "I don't know, I've always eaten like that. I don't do anything extreme in my training, I guess I just have good genes."

Ino's eye twitched as she turned away and pouted. Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome... Sorry about that, she gets this way about her appearance."

Choza walked over with a large doggy bag, setting it down next to Yuuko, "There you are Yuuko! I have to say, even I'm impressed with how much you can put away!"

Yuuko smiled in thanks and stood up, grabbing the bag, "Thank you Choza-san, please put the bill for this and the contest on my tab. It was nice meeting you, Shikamaru-san, Ino-san." She gave them a wave as she left, waving to Choza.

On her way back to the apartment, she passed the Uchiha compound. As she walked past, the door opened and Sasuke walked out, wearing his new headband, "Oh, Sasuke! I wanted to congratulate you on graduating! My friends and I are having a party, do you want to come?" She asked with a genuine smile.

Sasuke didn't spare her a glance and jumped to the rooftops, clearly intent on getting away from her. Yuuko sighed, after their little altercation four years ago and she'd moved in with Naruto and Yasaka, they'd grown even more apart. Yuuko tried to talk to Sasuke, but he always ignored her and refused to acknowledge her presence, because of that, he never saw her hitai-ate, which would at least made him talk to her. Yuuko knew it wasn't entirely his fault though... She should've told him about the advanced Genin program, she should've dragged him to therapy with her. He always seemed so strong when they were kids, she thought he just needed time and he'd be alright.

She tried to talk to him whenever she saw him, and visited him in the compound from time to time, but to no avail. She would've pushed harder to get closer to him, but there was a reason she didn't. She'd tried, she tried to talk to him and be there for him, even before she told him she wasn't going to the academy, but he wouldn't have it. She tried to get back into his life, but he wasn't letting her in, and she wasn't going to force her way in if he didn't want her there. Still, she was going to try talking to him whenever she saw him, and if he decided he wanted to be a family again, she'd accept it with open arms.

Yuuko shook her head, she needed to get these sad thoughts out of her head, she had a party to get to!

* * *

"Why do I have to do this?" Naruto asked as he was forced to carry tons of bags from dozens of stores throughout Konoha. He was currently weighed down as Hinata picked through a clothes rack, taking her time in picking different outfits.

"Two reasons, firstly you need to be taught a lesson for trying to pass on your pranking ways to Hanabi-chan. Secondly, you agreed to help us as we went shopping. She said as she held out a dress for Hanabi to look at, "What do you think?"

Hanabi thought for a minute, "Hmm, I don't think orange is your color... That's probably more Yasaka-nee's thing." The smaller Hyuga answered.

Hinata looked at the dress for a second before putting it back, "Yeah, I suppose you're right there..."

Naruto cleared his throat, "I remember agreeing to help you look for some things, but not to be the damn pack mule!" He yelped as Hinata appeared next to him and chopped his head, "Ow! Come on, damn isn't even a real curse!" Another chop greeted him as he wisely decided to stop talking.

The Hyuga princess looked at all the bags and sighed, "Alright, let's take pity on poor Naruto-kun and pay, then we'll drop this stuff at home and head to the apartment." Naruto let out a sigh of relief as Hinata walked over to the counter with Hanabi.

_'Thank god for my durability and freakish strength, or my back might be broken...'_ Naruto thought to himself as he carried the massive amount of bags to the Hyuga compound. When the three arrived, the guards sent him sympathetic looks and let them in.

He set the bags down in Hinata's room as Hiashi walked past, "What did he do this time?"

Hanabi giggled as Naruto rolled his shoulders, "He pulled a prank on someone and started cursing." Naruto turned and gave her a mock-glare.

Hinata patted Naruto on the shoulder, "Well, not so much for the prank, I agree the man deserved it, more for trying to teach those things to Hanabi-chan. Now what have we learned Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grumbled to himself, but answered, "Don't curse around Hanabi-chan or try to turn her to the path of pranking..."

Hinata smiled and patted his head. before turning to her father, "Is it alright if Hanabi-chan goes with us to our party tonight?" The smaller girl pulled out her Puppy-dog eyes technique.

Hiashi rolled his eyes, "You don't have to do that Hanabi-chan, you're free to go. Just remember to call me if she stays the night." He said, with his last comment directed to Naruto and Hinata.

"Don't worry Tou-san, we'll have her home on time if she's not too tired." With that, the three headed off to meet Yasaka and Yuuko, or at least they would have, if they weren't stopped by someone.

"Having fun with your friends, Hinata-sama? If only we could all be so lucky." Hinata stopped and turned toward the voice, seeing her cousin, Neji Hyuga.

Naruto growled, "You got something to say Neji, you can say it to-"

Hinata placed her hand on his chest, stopping him, "Please Naruto, take Hanabi-chan and head to the apartment without me." She gave him a pleading look. Naruto sighed and gave Neji a glare before leaving with Hanabi.

Neji raised an eyebrow, "Sending your attack dog off, how things have changed."

"Neji-nii, must we always do this? I've said it more times than I can count, I'm sorry for what happened to Hizashi-Oji, but I was six years old!" Hinata pleaded.

"I don't care how old you were, you were weak and you always will be weak. It's your fate, just like my fate is to be branded by this seal. I don't know how you lucked out in passing the advanced Genin test, but someday we'll see which of us fate favors, and I assure, you, I will not be holding back." Neji said coldly as he turned to walk away.

"Neither will I." Hinata's soft voice barely reached his ears, but when he turned around, she was gone.

As Hinata left the compound, she saw Naruto and Hanabi waiting by the wall, "I thought you two were heading to the apartment?"

Naruto shrugged, "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Well, thank you. I know you don't like Neji, but he wouldn't just attack me like that. I don't care how long it takes me, I will help him out of that delusion of fate, and heal my family." Hinata said with determination.

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and looked over to see a smiling Naruto, "Well then I'll be right there with you!"

Hinata nodded, a small blush staining her face, Hanabi then grabbed their sleeves, "Come on guys, we're gonna be late!" The two rolled their eyes as they headed off. On the way, Hanabi let go of them and Naruto fell a bit behind the group, opting to take his time.

He stopped as a sharp pain entered his chest, Naruto grit his teeth and put a hand on his chest, _'Damn... It's happening again? They're getting more frequent..."_ He held his chest for a minute before the pain subsided. Naruto shook his head, taking a few deep breaths before catching up with his teammate.

* * *

_\- Team 7's apartment, 30 minutes later - _

"Cheers!" Chorused out as the six people tapped their glasses together. Team 7, along with Konohamaru and Hanabi were all taking various spots on the large couch, with the food all spread out along their coffee table, with a couple extra folding trays brought out to hold it all. After they all arrived, they got right to work getting everything all laid out for their little party, by the time they got started, the sun was starting to set.

Al of them were wearing what they'd call their 'mission casual clothes', Naruto and Hinata had ditched their jackets, Yasaka set Yume on it's rack in their room, and they'd all removed their sandals and gloves, if they had any. Konohamaru seemed nervous at first, but quickly found that Yasaka's team were more than welcoming to him.

Naruto sighed to himself as he drank down a few gulps of soda, "Shame Kakashi-sensei couldn't be here tonight, that Jonin meeting came outta nowhere..."

Yasaka waved it off, "We'll make it up to him another night, plus you know he's not too much of a party guy."

That caught Konohamaru's attention, "Your Sensei? He must be really strong if he taught you. Ebisu said a lot of Shinobi know you guys."

Naruto nodded with a grin, "Oh yeah, sensei is really tough. We've been training with him for about 10 years now and none of us can beat him!"

Hinata chuckled at Konohamaru's face, "Well it's to be expected, he is a Jonin after all. When we team up on him he has to take us seriously, but he still manages to pull out a win every time."

The younger Hyuga took a sip of her juice and picked up a piece of barbecue, "I saw one of their spars once, it was intense! I nearly got sent flying!" They spent the next few hours talking about the academy, and Konohamaru eventually asked about some missions they'd been on.

Yuuko looked up from her piled high plate, "We haven't done anything glamorous if that's what you're wondering."

Yasaka leaned back in her seat with a sigh, "We've done escort missions, delivery missions, bodyguard duty, but nothing really dangerous happened, other than the odd bandit attack every now and again, but they're child's play for us now."

Popping a piece of takoyki into her mouth, Hinata took over for her, "Hokage-sama said he wanted to give us low-profile missions until our age group became Genin as well. If we did higher profile missions while we were still young, we would've had every power hungry jerk from here to Iwa after us."

Konohamaru took on a thinking expression, "What do you mean, 'while you were still young'? Didn't you guys graduate last year or something?"

Naruto sat back down, "Nope, we've been Genin since we were 12, took the advanced Genin test."

"WHAAAAAT!?" Konohamaru screamed as he stared, bug-eyed at them, "We talked about that in class a while ago! That test is supposed to be super strict! Nobody's done it in years because no Jonin could find kids with enough potential!"

Yasaka bopped Konohamaru with her hand, "Stop screaming, you're gonna give me a headache. Kakashi-sensei met us when we were six, and after teaching us a few things, decided to make it a regular thing. When we turned 12, we took the test and the council approved us." She thought for a minute, "Speaking of which, does Iruka-Sensei teach your class?"

The boy nodded with a bit of a surprised look, "Yeah, do you know him?"

The resident Uchiha answered that one, "Yes, he was in charge of teaching us stuff like math, history, and geography. Every day after the academy got out, we'd finish out training with Sensei and head there to meet Iruka-sensei for a couple hours of school."

Konohamaru was silent for a few minutes, then got up with stars in his eyes, "YOU GUYS HAVE TO TEACH ME! PLEASE SHOW ME SOME TRICKS!"

Another hand slammed into his hear, Yasaka's smile was a bit strained as a smoking dent appeared in Konohamaru's skull, "What did I tell you about yelling Kono-kun?"

Hanabi was barely able to contain her giggles as Hinata shook her head at their antics, "You guys have a lot of fun Onee-chan!"

Hinata gave her a nod, "That we do, Hanabi-chan!"

* * *

_\- A few hours later -_

"I rolled out a couple spare futons for 'em, they're out like lights..." Naruto said as he made two pairs of clones, two to take the sleeping Konohamaru and Hanabi and set them down on a spare pair of futons in their room, and two to tell their parents. The white-headed boy plopped down on the sofa and sighed in relaxation, "It sure had been a wild ride, hasn't it?"

Hinata took a sip of her tea, "If you mean our unique training and careers, then yes, it certainly has."

The blonde of the group put an arm around Hinata and poked her cheek, "You've certainly grown up, haven't you Hinata-chan? You were so cute when we first met, always blushing and stuttering!"

The Hyuga heiress' eye twitched as she turned to Yasaka with a sweet smile, "What about you? If I remember correctly you rarely left Naruto-kun's shadow, I always thought it was adorable how you held onto him ever so tightly!" Lightning seemed to flash between them as they stared at each other.

Naruto sweatdropped as Yuuko sat back down next to him, a freshly made plate of food in her lap, "I'll never understand why they do that... They can be best of friends one second, then be arguing and competing the next..."

"It's just how they are." Yuuko said with a small smile.

"Yeah... So, how was Sasuke?" Naruto chuckled as Yuuko turned to him in surprise, "You had that look in your eye when you got here."

Yuuko sighed, "He still won't talk to me, but I'm not going to give up on him."

"I wasn't going to tell you to. Just remember, if he says anything _unfriendly_ to you again, then come to me and I'll teach him how to speak to his big sister." Naruto growled.

"Naruto, I'm not even that much older than him, it's only 5 minutes." Yuuko said with an amused look, "Also, thank you." She always felt nice knowing how protective he was of them.

Naruto leaned back with a grin, "No problem!"

"Bad." Yuuko snapped as she smacked his hand, which had been moving toward her plate. She finished her food, then walked over to her girlfriends, chopping them on their heads.

Yasaka blinked and groaned a bit, "Ya know, for all you do, Hinata... I think Yuuko is the real mom of the group..." The Uchiha was always breaking up their arguments, with a Sharingan enhanced glare if need be.

Hinata looked indignant, "I don't try to be the mom, but someone has to be the responsible teammate!"

Yuuko looked around at her teammates, "What should we do now, we ate all the food..."

Yasaka walked into the kitchen and patted Yuuko's shoulder, "_You_ ate all the food Yuuko-chan. But I know something we can do..."" She gained a mischievous smirk and channeled some chakra into a seal on her wrist, creating a small puff of smoke, "If you guys aren't ready to go to sleep, I have these!" She said with a flourish as she held up two large bottles of Sake.

Hinata stood up and stomped over to Yasaka, "Absolutely not! We aren't drinking! Where did you even get that anyway!?"

The blonde shrugged, "Old enough to kill, old enough to buy booze." She then quickly set them down and pulled out four saucers, "Now come on, now that the kids are asleep, let's get the real party started!"

"How about we don't! Drinking like this is completely irresponsible! Yuuko-chan, Naruto-kun, please help me convince her!" Her eye twitched violently as she saw Naruto and Hinata pick up a saucer.

Naruto grinned at Hinata, "You don't have to if you don't want to Hinata-chan, we'll have some and put the rest away, it'll be fine!"

Hinata sighed, "Fine, but I am not having this! I want you three to know that I am completely against this and very disappointed in all of you!" She scolded and sat down on the couch, crossing her arms and legs.

* * *

_\- One hour later - _

"Ya know Yasaka-chan... You're one of my bestest friends in the world..." Hinata slurred as she leaned against Yasaka, who was equally sloshed, "I really love you Yasaka-chan, and Naruto-kun too, and Yuuko-chan..."

Yasaka nodded, "I love you too, HInata-chan, I may give you a hard time, but I love you like a sister!"

Yuuko, who had her head in the refrigerator, looked up, and wobbled over to Naruto, "Naruto-kun, we're out of food! We're all gonna starve to death!"

"Alright... Yuuko-chan go find some food, you always seem to find some when there isn't any around! Other Yuuko-chan, inform Jiji of this disaster!" Naruto said as he pointed to Yuuko and an empty space next to her.

Yuuko gave a shaky salute, and went back to the kitchen.

Soon, Hinata looked around the apartment, "Hey... Where'd Yuuko-chan go!?"

Yasaka stood up on shaky legs, dragging Hinata with her, "I don't know... Yuuuko-chaaan!?" Yasaka called out into the apartment, she then gasped, "What if she was captured!? Naruto-kun, help us look for Yuuko, she's missin'!"

Naruto downed another saucer of Sake and hauled himself up, "Missing!? Well what're we waitin for? Let's go find 'er!" He took a step and fell onto the floor.

The two girls burst into laughter as they held each other up, "Naruto-kun, you're sooooo drunk!" Yasaka got out through her giggles.

"No I'm not! I'm not drunk, I'll prove it!" Naruto stood up, and his eye caught something on the floor, "There!" He yelled with an audible gasp, "Yuuko-chan's saucer... She must be close!"

Hinata's eyes widened as she saw it, "Wow, he's right! Naruto-kun, you're so amazing at this!" She then took a long swig straight from the bottle, before passing it to Yasaka, who drank her own large helping.

The three drunken Genin stumbled over toward the kitchen, "Yuuuuuuuko-chaaaaaan?" Yasaka called into the kitchen.

Naruto finally turned around the counter, "I've found her!" He called to his companions, who walked over to see Yuuko curled up in a ball on the floor, sleeping soundly with a smile and a blush on her face as she cuddled a loaf of bread.

The male of the group leaned down, "Yuuko-chan... We've been searching for you for HOURS! Come on, we're gettin you home girl!" Just after Naruto finished speaking, he fell forward onto his face, soon the sound of snoring was audible.

"Wow, what a lightweight!" Hinata said as she poked Naruto with her foot.

Yasaka nodded, "Yeah, well more booze for us Hinata-chan! We'll drink all night long!"

"YEAH!" The two called in unison.

* * *

_\- One Hour Later - _

Kakashi Hatake looked around the apartment, surveying the damage. Yuuko was peacefully snoozing with a loaf of bread in the kitchen, her legs huddled up to her chest, Naruto was on his knees with his face planted in the floor next to her, well the kitchen was in one piece. He turned his eye to the living room, Yasaka was lying on her stomach over the back of the couch, and Hinata was lying peacefully on her back, covered up and sleeping like a kitten, the only thing to tell you she was hammered was that her 'blanket' was the overturned coffee table.

He sighed to himself, _"Well, at least the only thing out of place is the coffee table. Should I take them back to their room? ...Nah, I'll let them sleep like this, maybe they'll learn to drink responsibly." _He walked over to the door, passing the one remaining Sake bottle, which was still half-full. He blinked before picking it up and leaving with it. When his friend Anko had informed him she'd seen Yasaka buying to large bottles of strong Sake, he decided that he'd head to the party after the meeting after all. Of course, he'd let them all get sufficiently smashed before going to see the hilarity. Unfortunately he missed it, and was berating himself.

* * *

_-The next morning_ -

"Never again..." Naruto and Yuuko were walking to their training ground after dropping Konohamaru off, "I swear, I'll never drink like that again..." Naruto said to himself as he held his head, Hinata, bless her soul, had gotten rid of most of their hangovers with some medical ninjutsu after they'd gotten dressed.

Yuuko nodded, "It was pretty bad. I just remember getting tired and going to sleep, I thought I was in my bed."

They walked in a comfortable silence until they reached training ground 7, where Yasaka and Hinata were waiting, "Hey! You guys drop Hanabi off okay?"

Yasaka smirked, "Oh yeah, and Hiashi-sama had a pretty long talk with his daughter about the consequences of drinking."

Hinata turned to her with an indignant glare on her face, "Excuse me, I spoke out against us drinking!"

"Yeah, and fifteen minutes later you were chugging that Sake like it was the water of life! Don't go playing innocent with me you pale-eyed drunkard!" Before it devolved into a full on catfight, Yuuko appeared and gave the both of them her rare Sharingan-enhanced glare. They both settled down as Naruto sweatdropped.

He shook his head, times like this were always entertaining... Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, he shook for a second before he dropped down to his knees and gripped his shirt. The girls all noticed and ran over to him, "Naruto-kun, what's happening?" Yuuko asked as Hinata activated her Byakugan and Mystic Palm.

Naruto grunted and started breathing heavily, "D-don't worry, I'm fine... It'll pass soon enough..."

Yasaka got down next to him and looked at him with worry plain on her face, "This has happened before!? Why didn't you tell any of us!?"

"I-I didn't want to worry you all... It's never been this bad before, it usually just hits and goes away after a few seconds... Ah!" He suddenly fell over, the pain spreading to his legs and arms. This was definitely the worst pain he'd felt, it was like his very bones were on fire!

Hinata shook her head with a growl, "I can't figure out what's wrong with him!"

"Yuuko, Hinata, go alert the hospital that they've got an emergency patient coming in, Yasaka, inform the Hokage, I'll take Naruto to the hospital." The girls all looked up to see Kakashi standing there, he quickly grabbed Naruto and placed him over his shoulders, "What are you waiting for, move!" They all scattered as Kakashi jumped way with Naruto, "Hang in there, we'll get you better..."

"Wh-whole body hurts... C-can't move..." Naruto got out through grit teeth.

When he got to the hospital, Yuuko, Hinata, and a doctor were already there with a gurney, "Place him here." Kakashi set him down and the three followed the doctor down the hallway, "What happened and what are his symptoms?

Hinata was the one who answered, "It started as a chest pain, he was unable to stand after it hit and fell to his knees, I used the Mystic Palm and Byakugan, but I couldn't find anything wrong. He said this has happened before but nothing like this"

"When I put him on my shoulders he managed to say it spread to his whole body, and he couldn't move." Kakashi finished as they arrived at an open room. The doctor grabbed a few nurses and informed Team 7 they'd have to stay outside. They didn't like it, but they complied.

After a few minutes, a worried Yasaka and serious Hiruzen arrived, "Kakashi, report."

"Sir, Naruto collapsed after experiencing unexplained pain, it started in his chest and spread throughout the rest of his body. The doctors took him into an exam room a few minutes ago. We haven't heard anything since." Kakashi said in a professional manner.

Hiruzen sent a worried look at the girls, who were all sitting down staring at the door, "Well then, I suppose all we can do is wait until the doctor returns..."

Wait they did, for what seemed like hours. Truthfully only one had passed before the doctor opened the door and walked out. Everyone looked to him expectantly, "We have no idea what in the hell it was... We used every single diagnostic jutsu, healing jutsu, and everything else we could think of. There were no abnormalities in his blood, he was free of any sickness or disease, there was no poison in his system, he had no injuries..." He turned to the Hokage, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but we have no idea what caused this. About twenty minutes ago, his pain just stopped, he went straight to sleep so we performed more tests, we still found nothing. He's awake now if you wish to see him."

The poor doctor was instantly trampled by three worried young women. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief as he and the Hokage followed the girls into the room, seeing Naruto on the receiving end of three glares, "Come on girls, I'm in the hospital, remember?" He'd been stripped down to just his pants, and was currently shielding himself from the girls.

"We know, and that's the only reason we aren't beating the hell out of you!" Yasaka said as she bashed her fist into her palm.

Hinata was giving him a Byakugan enhanced glare, "Next time something like this happens, you _will_ tell us immediately!"

Even Yuuko was glaring at him, the tomoe in her Sharingan spinning angrily, "Don't ever make us worry like that again."

Naruto leaned away from them, his hands in front of his face, "Okay, I'll be more careful I promise!"

After the girls calmed down, Hiruzen walked up and gave Naruto a smile, "You gave is quite the scare Naruto-kun. How do you feel?"

"Eh, I'm alright, I told you guys it'd pass eventually!"

They spent the next few hours talking and relaxing in Naruto's room, with the girls eventually leaving for the night at Naruto's insistence. After they'd gone, Naruto turned to Hiruzen and Kakashi, "Alright you two, now that they're gone give it to me straight. Am I dying?"

The room took on a somber air as Hiruzen sighed, "We don't know. The doctor wasn't able to find anything wrong with you, whatever this is, it's never been documented, at least not here." The room was silent as Naruto digested the information.

"Well, whatever this thing is, I'm not gonna let it kill me, I plan on having a long, healthy life! I'm not gonna get killed by some chest pains..."

Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Well then you'd better rest, you're gonna stay here for a while until they clear you to leave. So you be good and don't get into any trouble, understand?"

"Come on, sensei! What kinda trouble could I get into in a hospital?"

* * *

_\- That Midnight, Konoha forest - _

"Are you sure they're this way Yasaka?" Yuuko asked as the three jumped through the trees.

"I'm sure, I can sense them clear as day!" Yasaka said back. It was only an hour ago that a call had gone out for all available Shinobi to mobilize, the forbidden scroll had been stolen. Apparently it was taken by a group of four, one of which was Mizuki, oh how Yasaka would enjoy taking that prick down... Whenever they went to the academy for Iruka's teaching, Mizuki would always try to sabotage her in some way.

Hinata gave a small gasp, her Byakugan blazing, "I see them, there's only three... Let's split them up and take them out individually." Mizuki's accomplices were a few reserve Shinobi who got tired of being on the back burner.

Yuuko nodded, "I'll interrogate one of them."

They eventually came upon the group of traitors, sitting around, clearly waiting for something, possibly their last teammate. Yasaka looked to Hinata and motioned to the left, and Yuuko to the right. She then went through a few handsigns, taking a deep breath, **"Futon: Daitoppa!"** A large blast of air struck the ground in the middle of them, sending two of them flying away into the woods while Mizuki was thrown back into a tree.

As he rubbed his head, Yasaka dropped down in front of him, "Hello Mizuki, I'll be taking that scroll back to Jiji."

He seemed to gain a bit of glee in his eyes as he realized who was in front of him, "Well, well, if it isn't the demon... Speaking of, did anyone ever tell you why-"

"Kyuubi, I know, you're about four years too late asshole." Yasaka said with a smirk. Mizuki had the wind taken out of his sails, but he still pulled out a kunai and charged her. Yasaka sighed and drew Yume, when Mizuki reached her, she deflected all of his blows with practiced ease, "Are you sure you're a chunin?" She taunted as she coated her blade in Futon chakra and sliced clean through his kunai.

"Aw, what's the matter, big, bad Mizuki can't beat the little Kyuubi bitch?" Yasaka had discovered a talent for getting under people's skin, her natural cocky nature seemed to throw people off, make them angry. Mizuki circled her, then grabbed one of the giant shruriken on his back and threw it, arcing through the air toward Yasaka. She quickly gripped Yume, channeling more Futon chakra and slicing it in half as it reached her. She raised an eyebrow at seeing Mizuki charging her again, clearly thinking she wouldn't have time to block him after getting rid of the Shruriken.

He clearly knew nothing about Yasaka, as she moved faster than his eye could see, she deflected his second kunai and quickly thrust her blade into his neck. Mizuki's eyes widened, before the life left his eyes. Yasaka pushed him off her sword, flicked the blood off, then sheathed it, she picked up the forbidden scroll and started on her way back to the Hokage tower, "Good riddance."

Meanwhile, Hinata was dodging the clumsy strikes of one of Mizuki's comrades, "Are you sure about this? Taking on a Hyuga in taijutsu?" He paused for a second, and regretted it as Hinata sent a quick strike to his arm, disabling it. He then made the wise decision to run, unfortunately, Hinata was faster. She appeared above him and struck him in the back of the head with a palm strike, killing him instantly, "I refuse to believe these guys are chunin... Here I wanted to test my ability..."

As Mizuki's other unnamed associat shook the cobwebs from his head, he heard a soft voice, "Please don't resist. It'll be much less painful if you simply surrender." Yuuko said as she stood on a tree branch, small waves of heat rolling off her body.

He grit his teeth and threw a brace of shruriken at her, Yuuko rolled her eyes and dropped off the tree, landing on the ground and sprinting toward him. His eyes widened as Yuuko appeared in front of him before she threw a kick, hitting him in the face and sending him spinning through the air. When he landed, he yelped in pain as he realized his face was burned, he pulled himself to his feet and was about to continue, but made the mistake of looking Yuuko in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I have to make this quick." Yuuko said as her Sharingan spun lazily, "Now, where is your last teammate?"

The traitor had a glazed look in his eye as he answered, "He went to the hospital to steal some blood samples as a peace offering to Orochimaru... He was the one we were going to see after defecting. We were waiting for him here..."

Yuuko nodded, chopping him in the back of the head to knock him out, "The hospital, well I suppose there's nothing to worry about then.

* * *

"Don't worry sensei, I'll stay out of trouble in the hospital, I promise! Should've known that wouldn't happen..." Naruto said to himself as he hopped out of a window. He'd heard someone snaking through the hallway and decided to investigate, finding someone littered with ill intent. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he threw the guy out a window.

As Naruto landed on the ground, his opponent had picked himself up and was settling into his combat stance. Naruto cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, before disappearing in a burst of speed. His opponent didn't even have time to react as Naruto appeared in front of him and threw a punch at his face, then grabbed his ankle as he was flying and threw him into the wall that surrounded hospital grounds.

The traitor pulled himself out of the wall, and started throwing shruriken at Naruto, who simply made a single handsign, and thrust his other hand forward, **Futon: Reppusho!"** a blast of wind flew from his hand and reversed the direction of the shruriken, forcing the traitor to dodge.

After doing so, he noticed that Naruto was gone, he frantically looked around, and only realized where Naruto was when a hand popped out of the ground. **"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!"** Was heard, muffled through the ground as the traitor was pulled underground, with only his head sticking out. Naruto pulled himself out of the ground with a small smirk, "Well, that was a nice little warm-up..." A few ANBU dropped down, prepared to storm the hospital, "Oh, hey! So I assume this guy's who you're looking for?" The ANBU started for a second before turning and leaving.

Kakashi then appeared in a Shunshin and looked around the area, "At least you kept the damage to a minimum, well for you at least. You couldn't just stay in bed, could you?"

Naruto shrugged, "What was I supposed to do? I saw this guy sneaking through the place and decided to see what he was doing."

"Well, I suppose it figures. The others took out the other three traitors, and Hokage-sama sent us to stop him. Knowing your ability to get into trouble, Hokage-sama authorized A-rank pay in case you took him out." Kakashi eye smiled as Naruto cheered, "Now, back to bed with you."

"Aw, come on Sensei!" Kakashi shook his head and turned Naruto around, pushing him back into the hospital, "Alright, alright, I'm going!"

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright Naruto-kun?" Yasaka asked as Team 7 walked toward the Hokage tower for a mission.

"For the last time, Yasaka-chan, I'm fine!" Naruto exclaimed as he patted his chest, "Fit as a fiddle, not gonna get put down any time soon."

Hinata shook her head, "We just worry about you Naruto-kun, and you can be damn sure I'm going to be watching you like a hawk from now on!" Her Byakugan was at full blast, and Naruto could tell she was looking over his insides for anything.

Naruto jumped as he felt someone poke his chest. He turned back to the front to see Yuuko in front of him, staring at his chest while walking backward, "You too, Yuuko-chan?"

The revenette poked him again before moving back to her position beside them, "I don't want you to get hurt either, Naruto-kun."

They continued their walk in silence, none of them wanting to keep their thoughts on the topic of Naruto's problem. Naruto himself took a deep breath, whatever this was, he wouldn't let it kill him, end of discussion. As they reached the tower, they saw Kakashi waiting for them, "There you are, ready for a mission?" They all nodded and he led them inside.

Minutes later, they stood in front of the Hokage, who was looking through the pile of missions, "Hm... We'll need to keep the easier ones for the new graduates once they start missions... I do have a C-rank that should be simple enough, I feel like your team is more than equipped to handle it."

Kakashi nodded and chuckled internally as his teem pouted, "We'll take it Hokage-sama."

"Alright then, it's an escort mission, but I want you all to be wary, something seems off about it..." Hiruzen said as he tossed Kakashi the scroll.

The one-eyed Jonin rolled it open and studied it, his students looking over his shoulder, "Nami no Kuni, huh? Should be interesting..."

* * *

**Chapter End!**

Well, I like the way this chapter turned out, and hopefully it gave some development to their characters. So, next chapter will be the start of the Nami mission, and I have something very special planned for it! For those wondering about Naruto's condition, there is a hint in the chapter as to what's happening, but if you figure it out, or think you have, then I don't care if you wanna tell me, but please **don't put it in a review!** Wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise for those who don't.

As an ending thought, while I don't want this story to become one of those ones where Naruto and the girls are the idols of the village and are hounded by date requests wherever they go... Full disclosure, I'm not saying those stories are bad, they're very good when done right, I just don't want this story to be like that.

I would be lying, however, if I said I didn't wanna put in some 'arrogant lady's man' situations with the girls where they have to lay down the law. Or the reverse, where Naruto has to deal with a woman not leaving him alone. These scenes would more than likely be purely comedic, and nothing too serious, so hopefully I can do them right...

Anyway, tell me what you thought of the chapter and I'll see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Here we go with Chapter 3 and the start of the Wave Mission! Since it's going to be a few months before the Chunin exams happen, Team 7 will probably go on another mission after this one before the exams start. Speaking of which, I plan to introduce Team 7 to the majority of the rookies during the exams, but they'll hear about Team 7 before they meet them.

As you've probably been able to guess, Yasaka, Yuuko, and Hinata are in the harem, as for the last two, I'm not sure... I'm going to add Fem Haku into the story, but if she's going to be in the harem is still up in the air right now.

Also, something I wanted to mention in the last chapter, Yasaka's sword style and moves are going to be based on Wolf's in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Lastly, I tried to stretch the Nami mission out, but for the life of me, there's only so much I can squeeze from it...

Without further ado, let's get going!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.**

**Chapter 3: Not what they seem.**

* * *

"Nami no Kuni, huh? Should be interesting..." Kakashi said to himself as he looked over the mission scroll. He rolled it up and turned to the Hokage, "If you don't mind me asking Hokage-sama, what seems off about this mission?"

Hiruzen leaned back into his chair, giving Team 7 a serious look, "Shinobi don't live as long as I do without learning to trust their instincts, and mine are telling me the client is hiding something. I'm not telling you all to treat him with hostility, but be wary and keep your eyes open." Once he was sure they all understood, he called outside, "Send someone to inform Tazuna-san he has his team, and they'll meet him in two hours at the main gate."

Kakashi clapped his hands and turned to his students, "Well, you heard Hokage-sama, go pack your things for a trip. It should take us about four of five days to reach Nami at civilian speed, so pack for a few days with a few spares."

Yasaka groaned as the team left, "Figures... We finally get to go on more high-profile missions and we get stuck with another boring escort mission..."

Hinata shook her head with a sigh, "Well not all missions can be exciting, but maybe this one will be more fun than we think?"

"Hokage-sama did think something was up." Yuuko added as she munched on some Pocky from... somewhere.

Naruto grinned at his teammates, "Well one thing's for sure, we won't know until the mission gets started. So let's get packed and get ready."

* * *

_\- Two Hours Later, Main Gate - _

The four Genin of Team 7 were awaiting their Sensei, thankfully he wasn't late when it came to missions, or they'd never get a good report from the clients... They soon noticed Kakashi walking up with who could only be their client, "What!? These brats are gonna be protecting me? You've gotta be joking!"

They rolled their eyes as Kakashi spoke up, "I assure you Tazuna-san, my team and I are more than capable of protecting you."

Tazuna shrugged, "Well alright then, my name is Tazuna, and you'll be protecting me on the way to Nami and while I finish building my bridge! I expect you to do your best!"

Right off the bat Yuuko noticed something off, _"Why would he need protection while he builds this bridge? Protection on the road I can understand, but why would someone want to hurt him for building a bridge?"_ A glance to her teammates confirmed that they had similar thoughts.

Without much else to discuss, the six set off toward Nami. Along the way, Hinata decided to start a conversation with their client, "So, Tazuna-san, what's Nami like? We've been Genin for a while now, but we haven't left Hi no Kuni very many times."

Their client seemed to flinch for a second, "Well, Nami is a trading country, we're not a very big nation, so we rely on the ocean around us for protection. That's why I came to Konoha. Anyway, It's not as impressive as Konoha, but it's home, and we've got to get there in a hurry so I can finish my bridge!"

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "You seem pretty proud of this bridge."

"Of course, it's going to be my greatest work! It's planned to be one of the biggest bridges in the Nations!" Tazuna said proudly.

Naruto grinned a bit, "Well, sounds like it's gonna be pretty impressive, I kinda wanna see it now!"

The five members of Team 7 traveled in silence, chatting a bit until they noticed a large puddle off the side of the road, and all shared a look. Tazuna was wondering what they were all looking at, then got even more confused as Kakashi sighed and said, "Alright... Go nuts."

Tazuna jumped as Naruto and Yasaka charged toward the puddle, both with grins on their faces. Yasaka reached it first and quickly drew Yume, bringing it down on the puddle, "Mine!" The puddle suddenly disappeared as two shinobi jumped out, they were both wearing Mizu no Kuni headbands, re-breathers, and matching clawed gauntlets connected by a chain.

Naruto let out a laugh as he saw them jump out, "Ha! There's two of them, that means I get one too!"

Yasaka glared at Naruto, "No you don't! I got here first and called it, they're both mine!"

"Oh come on, that's not fair! I wanna fight too!" He said as the two turned to each other, ignoring their opponents.

"Too bad! I called dibs, the fact that two of them popped out is irrelevant, I still get them!" Yasaka smirked with a superior look. The two demon brothers sweatdropped as they watched the Genin argue about who would fight them. They looked at each other for a second, before rushing toward the two of them, intending on wrapping the Genin in their chain. They were suddenly pulled short as their chain was held back. They turned and saw a pair of golden chains coming out of the ground intertwined in theirs. Yasaka turned to them with an annoyed look, "Fine... We can share." As she moved, the demon brothers caught sight of a few chains snaking out of her sleeve and leading into the ground.

Naruto gave his own small smirk, "There you go! Things are so much more fun if you do them with friends!" He suddenly moved to the side as Gozu flew past him, attempting to stab him with his gauntlet, "Oh, they can detach the chain, neat."

Yasaka was currently blocking and deflecting strikes from Meizu, "I noticed... Seems these guys are more effective as a team than individually..." She raised an eyebrow as she took a closer look at the claws on the gauntlet, "By the way, they've got poison on the claws."

Gozu's eyes twitched as he ran back toward Naruto, "Take us seriously dammit!"

He was stopped short as Naruto grabbed his wrist, sporting a grin that promised pain, "Okay, if you insist!" He was pulled forward as Naruto crashed his knee into Gozu's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He followed it up with a punch to the head, knocking Gozu out.

Yasaka rolled her eyes at her teammate's actions, before moving to the side as Meizu charged her again. A pair of chains shot out of her sleeve and wrapped him up, before she calmly walked over and knocked him out with a quick strike to the back of the head with the butt of her sword.

Kakashi walked over to them and stared at the two Chunin for a second, "Yuuko, tie them up then interrogate them, Hinata, look them up in the bingo book. I need to have a talk with our client..." Tazuna started to sweat as Kakashi, flanked by Naruto and Yasaka, fixed him with a hard stare, "Alright Tazuna-san, start explaining."

"Wh-what do you mean? I have no idea who those men are!" It was clear to all three of them that he was hiding something.

"I know you don't, but you know why they're after you. Hokage-sama thought something was off about this mission, and we do as well. Why would you want us to protect you _while_ you built the bridge? Clearly you're afraid of something, or someone. Add that, these two Chunin should've known better than to attack us, with me being here, and my team who clearly knows what they're doing. Unless of course, they were hired to attack us. None of my team have bounties yet, and they know I'm way out of their league, so that just leaves you." Kakashi explained with a serous look.

Tazuna sputtered for a minute, trying to come up with an excuse, "I... It's... Alright... You're right, they were hired to kill me." He sighed and started explaining, "Nami is in dire straights. A while ago, a man named Gato showed up and completely took over the shipping industry in Nami."

Hinata looked up from the bingo book, "The tycoon? Why would he do that, if Nami can't ship anything, then he loses out on a large amount of money!"

"Not if he controls all the ports... He uses mercenaries to make the workers do whatever he wants, and controls all the ships coming into and leaving the port. He takes nearly all the profits from the trade industry. Nami is incredibly poor now, people struggling to buy food, children on the streets, homeless... My bridge is the only hope we have of breaking his hold on Nami, and he knows it." Tazuna said as he took a seat on a rock.

Yasaka tapped a finger on her chin, "So that's why these guys were after you... With you dead, Gato controls Nami and nobody can stop him."

Tazuna nodded,"Yes... I'm sorry I lied about the mission details, but we're all so poor a C-rank was all we could afford even with most of Nami pitching in!" He dropped down and bowed to them, "Please, you have to help us! I beg of you!"

Kakashi sighed and turned to his team, Yuuko and Hinata having joined them. Yuuko deactivated her Sharingan, "The demon brothers confirmed his story. They also say Gato may have hired a couple other Shinobi, they were pretty new, so the only one they knew for sure was there was Zabuza Momochi."

Naruto took a look at the silent Tazuna before grinning, "Well what're we waiting for? We've been craving a high profile mission, and here one is!"

Hinata nodded, "Well, that is true..."

Yasaka's thumb was running over Yume's tsuba, "I'd be lying if I said the thought of testing my steel against one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman didn't excite me..." Though they didn't express it, Kakashi could see that the other three shared this sentiment. Yuuko had a rarely seen fire in her eyes, Naruto was popping his knuckles with his thumb, and Even the usually gentle Hinata had a gleam in her eye. Kakashi knew they all had an itch to see where they stood in the Shinobi world, four years of training and staying under the radar had them wanting to test how strong they really are.

Kakashi turned to Tazuna, "Well, looks like we're continuing the mission." Tazuna jumped up with a cheer, "Count yourself lucky my team is composed of a bunch of bloodthirsty barbarians." He moved his head to the side, dodging a quick strike from Hinata, "Well then, if we're all ready... Let's get back on the move, I'll have a clone figure out what to do with the Demon Brothers."

* * *

_\- Two days later, back in Konoha - _

While Team 7 was on their way to Nami, the rookie 9 were sitting in the Akimichi barbecue restaurant, their Sensei deciding it might be nice to get them together before starting missions to have a bit more comradery. They probably wouldn't get a ton of time to socialize after they started missions, plus it'd give the Sensei a chance to see how the teams interacted.

Asuma Sarutobi chuckled as he slapped a hand on the shoulder of the man next to him, "Cheer up Yamato! You'll get used to taking care of a team of brats eventually."

Yamato sighed and turned to watch team 11, Sasuke was brooding, Sakura was trying to get his attention, and Sai was... being Sai, "I know, it's just such a big change fro my previous position..."

Kurenai looked over with a smile, "Trust me Yamato, it'll get easier."

As they turned back to their students, they noticed that the conversation had somehow moved to how they passed their tests. Kiba was smirking over at Sasuke, "Me, Shino, and Yakumo passed Kurenai-sensei's test no problem! I bet we're already on our way to being the strongest Genin in the village!" Akamaru barked beside him in agreement.

Sasuke smirked back, "We'll see about that, care to spar like in the academy again?"

"Any time any place, pretty boy!"

Kiba was about to jump up, but settled down as Yakumo grabbed his arm, "Please Kiba-kun, don't make a scene! We don't want to get thrown out!" The Kurama heiress had really come into her own after her Ido was sealed off, quickly catching up to her peers and making Genin rank.

As the Inuzuka settled down, Ino took on a thinking pose, "Ya know... I'm starting to wonder which team really is the strongest... I'd normally say team 11 since Sasuke-kun is on it, and Sai is pretty tough too, but they're totally weighed down by Forehead..."

Sakura's eye twitched as she glared at Ino, "Well what about you Pig? You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag, and Shikamaru barely moves! Choji is the only fighter, and he wasn't even the best in the class!"

Choji frowned as he ate more food, "I wasn't that bad..."

"Excuse me, what about us!?" Kiba asked, "With me and Akamaru, Shino's Kikaichu, and Yakumo's genjutsu, we're practically unbeatable!"

Shino sighed, "Why don't we do the logical thing and ask our Sensei?"

The entire Rookie 9, even Shikamaru, turned to the three Jonin with expectant looks. They all sweatdropped and were going to find a way to diffuse the argument, until Yamato got an idea, "Well, if we're talking about all the Genin teams in the village, none of you are." All of them looked surprised at that, except Sai. When his fellow Jonin looked over to him, Yamato signed in a Jonin only code, [Always someone stronger.] Yamato was certain hearing about Team 7 would help the rookies not get big heads. Plus it'd give them incentive to get stronger, knowing just how large the gap between them was.

Shikamaru groaned a bit, "Troublesome... So I guess it's Team 7 or 9 that are the strongest? Iruka-sensei said they were still active."

Asuma nodded with a relieved smile, "Yup, Team 9 is plenty strong, but Team 7 holds the title of strongest Genin team. All four of them are something else..."

Kiba seemed confused for a second, before getting annoyed, "Hold on, they have 4 Genin on their team?! Well no wonder, they win by having an extra person!"

Kurenai glared at him, causing him to settle down, "Team 7 has an extra person because they didn't go to the academy. They took and passed the Advanced Genin test when they were 12." All was silent for a minute.

"WHAT!?" Most of the rookies yelled.

Sai already knew about them, Danzo was sure to warn him. Still, he had to keep up his act, "They must be incredibly strong then."

Yamato nodded, "I worked with them a few times before I became a Sensei." To help train Yasaka to control the Kyuubi's chakra, but that wasn't for them to know, "Let me tell you this, any one of them could soundly defeat any of you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I don't care how strong they are, I'd defeat whoever I went up against."

The wood user raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't phrase that like I should've." All the Genin focused back on him, "Any one member of their team could take on any of your entire teams, and win. So if you want to defeat them, you'll need to become much stronger." Sasuke and a number of the other Genin were surprised by this, Sasuke in particular didn't look happy.

Ino's eyes sparkled at the new gossip she could get from this, "So, would we know them?"

Asuma shook his finger, "Not that easy! If we told you who they are you'd all go find them for one reason or another. You'll have to wait if you want to know who they are, plus I think they're out of the village on a mission at the moment."

The Rookie 9 all fell silent, thoughts running through their heads of the mysterious Team 7, and what great things they must be doing on their mission.

* * *

_\- Back in Nami - _

"Jan, Ken, Pon." Yasaka and Yuuko quietly said as they threw their hands down, Yasaka smirking in victory as her scissors cut Yuuko's paper. The Uchiha heiress didn't have much of a reaction as they continued playing. They silently marveled in the size of the bridge, it certainly was impressive...

Team 7 were currently siting in a boat with Tazuna, being ferried over the water onto the small island nation. Naruto turned to Hinata, "See anything?"

Hinata shook her head, seeming staring at nothing, Byakugan active, "Nothing yet, wait..." She turned to Kakashi, "We're approaching the island, the mist is heavy with chakra, it's not natural."

Kakashi narrowed his eye as Yasaka and Yuuko stopped their game, "Alright, everyone be on guard. Diamond formation around Tazuna and let's go..." Once they set down on the beach of Nami no Kuni, they proceeded with caution, straining their senses for anything that could give away an enemy.

Suddenly, Naruto pulled out a kunai and tossed it into a bush. A small, white rabbit hopped out and scampered off into the woods, wait... white? "Everyone down!" Kakashi yelled as he dragged Tazuna to the ground with him. The Genin dropped just as an enormous sword flew over their heads, embedding itself into the trunk of a tree. Team 7 watched as someone appeared standing on the handle. He was wearing camo pants, ninja sandals, arm warmers, a leather harness, and bandages wrapped around his face. He turned, showing them his scratched Kiri forehead protector.

"Zabuza Momochi, the Kirigakure no Kijin..." Kakashi said as he watched Zabuza closely.

"Sharingan no Kakashi, what a surprise, didn't think I'd see you out here... With a bunch of brats no less." Zabuza responded as he looked over the team, "Don't suppose I could convince you to hand over the old man?"

Naruto grinned, "Not a chance no-brows!"

Zabuza's eye twitched as he stared, "Do you even know who I am kid?"

Yasaka drew Yume, "We know who you are, so tell me... Is the story of you killing 100 academy students before you even got in true?"

A dark chuckle escaped Zabuza's mouth as a large amount of killing intent filled the air, "One of the best days of my life, girl..." He let out a full blown laugh as he saw the four Genin shaking, "Pathetic, just a bit of Ki and they're shaking like leaves!"

Kakashi noticed their shaking, and shook his head, "They aren't scared..." Zabuza stopped and raised an eyebrow at him, "I hate to do this Zabuza, I was a bit excited to fight you as well, but ah well... They'll never forgive me for this if I take the lead..."

"What the hell are you on about, Kakashi!?" Zabuza yelled as he jumped to the ground, grabbing his sword.

The silver haired Jonin saluted Zabuza, "I'll be stepping in if things get out of hand. Go get him."

Zabuza's eyes widened as the four Genin raced toward him, much faster than he thought they could move. Naruto was the first to reach him, and Zabuza was forced to pull his sword up to block a punch. His eyes widened as it forced him back a bit. He didn't have time to dwell on it however, as Hinata and Yuuko appeared beside him, throwing lightning fast blows. Zabuza dodged them all, but flinched as the heat from Yuuko's blows threatened to burn him. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, so he jumped back, Yasaka stabbing her sword into the ground right where he was standing.

Zabuza hefted his sword, "Alright...Maybe you're not just a bunch of brats after all..."

Hinata smiled as she settled into her stance, "You have no idea."

Their opponent turned and slashed his zanbatou, blocking a few golden chains, and continuing to block them as they tried to get around his guard. He let out a roar and slashed at them, knocking them away. Still, he didn't get away unscathed, a few shallow stabs and cuts littered his body. Yuuko took the opportunity to rush forward, **Hi no Karada** activated, throwing a flaming punch at Zabuza's exposed back. Still, he was a Jonin for a reason, he ducked down under her strike, watching a gout of fire stream from her fist. Zabuza launched a kick behind himself, knocking Yuuko back, when he rose back up, the four Genin had disappeared.

Zabuza grit his teeth, a grin starting to form under his bandages, _"I'm beginning to think this might be fun..."_ He held his sword in front of himself, waiting for them. He didn't have to wait long as Yasaka appeared out of the mist to attack him with a flurry of strikes. Zabuza blocked each of them, then threw out his own strikes whenever Yasaka slowed, the blonde Genin dodging around his strikes of deflecting others, sliding his larger sword down her slender blade. Zabuza was actually beginning to enjoy this, he hadn't had a proper kenjutsu fight in years!

However, his battle didn't last long as Yasaka suddenly stepped back, jumping off the lake. Zabuza's eyes widened as Naruto finished a chain of handsigns, smirking devilishly. **"Raiton: Denpa!"** Naruto said with lightning dancing across his hands. He stuck his hands into the water and watched as bolts of electricity danced across the water.

Unfortunately, Zabuza had finished his own chain of handsigns, **"Suiton: Suiro!"** Zabuza was encased in a sphere of water floating above the lake's surface. Team 7 raised an eyebrow at the rather ingenious use of the technique. After the lightning stopped and Zabuza let himself out of the technique, he went on the offensive, rushing toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened as Zabuza appeared in front of him, slashing him across the chest and sending him flying. Naruto rolled along the ground, groaning as he sat up to rub the shallow cut across his chest. Yuuko then resumed her own assault on Zabuza, Sharingan spinning, sending shots of fire at him with every punch or kick. She was joined soon after by Yasaka's chains, stabbing at Zabuza and trying to wrap around him.

Yuuko then went in for a flaming axe kick, which Zabuza blocked. Of course, he didn't notice Hinata slipping in under his nose and sending a strike to Zabuza's arm, disabling it, "Dammit!" The Jonin grunted as he jumped back, gaining some distance. He glared at his now useless arm, the feeling of pins and needles running through it.

Zabuza looked up to see the four Genin gathered in front of him. He hefted his blade in one hand and prepared to resume the fight, these four were certainly a much better challenge than he thought... However, he didn't have a chance as a pair of senbon flew out of the trees and stuck into his neck. His eyes widened as he fell over, the life seeming to leave his eyes.

Team 7 watched as a Kiri hunter ninja appeared next to Zabuza and knelt next to him, "I suppose I should thank you. If you hadn't weakened him, it would've been much harder." The hunter moved to grab the body, but just as he slung Zabuza's arm around his shoulder, he looked up to see Hinata about to hit him with a few Jyuken strikes. The hunter managed to pull of a water Shunshin just in time, disappearing from the scene.

"Hm... They got away." Hinata said with annoyance as she walked back to her team, "Those senbon put Zabuza into a death-like state... That Hunter-nin is working for him."

Kakashi nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. That's why I'll be taking him on next time." He sighed at his student's affronted looks, "Don't give me that, I gave you your chance to fight him, next time I will. I'm sure you'll be able to fight whoever else Gato hired." He looked over to Naruto, "You alright? It looked like Zabuza got you pretty good."

Naruto nodded, flinching as Hinata poked his cut before starting to heal it, "I'm fine, it's pretty shallow. I'll need to change my shirt soon though."

Their Sensei nodded, watching Hinata heal it, _'It is a shallow cut, but something about it seems off...'_ He shrugged and turned back to Tazuna, "Tazuna-san, we should keep moving to your home. The longer we stay out in the open, the more trouble we'll attract."

Tazuna nodded, seemingly a bit unable to process the fight he'd witnessed, "Of course, it's not much farther..."

* * *

An hour later, Team 7 had arrived at Tazuna's house, being greeted by Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, "Thank you for agreeing to help us, I can't express my gratitude!"

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head, "It's no problem ma'am, really! We couldn't just say no after learning about what was going on here." Team 7 were seated at the family's dining table, Tazuna breaking out a bottle of sake.

Kakashi eye smiled and turned to his students, "Now, I don't want you three to go getting hammered while we're here!" He dodged a swipe from Yasaka.

Hinata blushed and fidgeted under Tsunami's shocked look, "We've already told you, sensei, we regret drinking so much that night."

Yasaka chuckled, "I don't, it was fun! Right Yuuko-chan?"

Said revenette shrugged, "It was pretty entertaining in the beginning, but I don't wanna get drunk anytime soon."

Naruto chuckled and patted Yasaka's head as she pouted, "Aw, don't worry Yasaka-chan, we'll find a way to have some fun without booze."

Tsunami blinked a bit, before shrugging and moving back to the kitchen to make dinner, Tazuna going up to take a nap, and Inari leaving the house to walk around after glaring at them. Yasaka huffed after he left, "So what's his problem?"

Yuuko tilted her head a bit, "Who knows... Maybe it's not our place to ask."

Tsunami sighed from the Kitchen, "I'm sorry about him, his stepfather Kaiza stood up to Gato and rallied the villagers against him... Gato publicly executed him a few weeks ago, it was very hard for Inari. He seems to have lost all hope..."

Hinata activated her Byakugan, watching Inari stare at the water, "Oh... Poor thing..." She shook her head, "All the more reason to help these people."

Kakashi took on a serious look as he turned back to his team, "Okay, now to business. We all know that Zabuza is still alive, so we'll have to prepare for it. Being put into a death-like state like that will leave him weak for a while, add to that the Jyuken strike Hinata gave him plus the wounds from Yasaka's chains. I'd say he'll be out for a week, so we'll need to be ready. He'll probably bring his Hunter-nin pal and maybe a few other shinobi. Since out job is to protect Tazuna and not kill Gato, we'll be primarily focused on watching Tazuna and his family. Yuuko, scout around the house and town, check things out. Yasaka, make a Fuinjutsu array around the house, whatever you feel is appropriate. Naruto, check out the site of the bridge, look for traps, explosives, anything dangerous. Hinata and I will stay here on guard duty."

With a chorus of "Hai!" Naruto, Yasaka, and Yuuko set out.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Zabuza yelled as he grasped his neck, "Next time be a little more rough, that could've hurt more!"

The Hunter-nin removed their mask, revealing a beautiful face, "Well, I had to pull them out, and there's no gentle way to do it." The two were sitting in their hideout somewhere in the forests of Nami, "I'm surprised a team of Genin were able to do this, they must be very strong."

Zabuza growled, "I underestimated them... By the time I knew to take them seriously, they'd already started to overwhelm me... Speaking of, I want you to be careful around them Haku."

The now named Haku raised an eyebrow, "Were they that strong Zabuza-sama?"

"A Hyuga, an Uchiha, and an Uzumaki, the latter two I thought were almost all gone... Only reason I know the blonde is an Uzumaki is because I've heard of those chains before, Kiri had a couple scrolls about the Uzumaki clan." Zabuza thought for a second, "Also, the white-haired one..."

As Haku bandaged Zabuza's wounds, she pondered her Master's words, "What's so special about him? He didn't seem too strong to me."

Zabuza nodded, "Just a feeling... When he punched the Kubikiribocho it pushed me back, he's pretty damn strong. Secondly, when I slashed him across the chest, I put enough strength into it to bisect a normal man. He just got a shallow cut and launched back from the force of the blow."

"Maybe he has his own bloodline? Can you think of any clans that he might belong to?" Haku asked.

The swordsman was silent for a minute, "Incredible strength, damn near unkillable... My sword actually cut him, so it must be something under his skin... I've got no damn clue! Damn that white headed brat..." He trailed off, "No... No damn way. He can't be one of them, or have that!" Zabuza seemed to be talking to himself.

Haku was definitely surprised at the sudden change, "What? It can't possibly be that bad."

Zabuza groaned and sat back into his chair, "I don't wanna say anything unless I know I'm right. If he's what I'm thinking of, then you need to be careful, as much as it pains me to say it, you won't be able to touch him. I just hope I'm wrong... That night was enough to give even me chills..."

They were suddenly interrupted by a short man bursting into the room, flanked by two men with swords, "Well, imagine my surprise when my men reported seeing Tazuna arriving in Nami alive and well! I thought you'd take care of him, or do I need to hire someone more competent?"

"Can it Gato, I've got it under control. Once I'm back up to full strength I'll kill the bridge builder. Now leave, you're bothering me." Zabuza said dismissively.

Gato frowned and walked forward, pointing at Zabuza, "Now see here you poor excuse for a mercena-" He was cut off as Haku appeared in front of him and stabbed his hand with a senbon.

As the short man gasped in pain and recoiled, his two guards drawing their swords, "Zabuza-sama told you to leave. So leave." Haku calmly said, her eyes as cold as ice.

The three left their hideout, glaring at them. Zabuza chuckled, "Well, look at that, one little senbon and he's crying like a bitch."

Haku sighed and fixed her master with a deadpan stare, "Says the man to complained about me removing them..." Zabuza at least had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed.

* * *

_\- Back at Tazuna's house_ -

Yasaka walked into the house, twirling her calligraphy brush in her hand, "Just one last measure..." She sat down at the table and drew a simple sealing formula on it, with the Kanji for 'sound' in the center. "Fuin!" The seal glowed for a second before fading away, "There, now if anyone enters the perimeter of the house, this seal will let out an alarm. It's also got a gravity increase countermeasure on it. I'm not quite at the level of a physical barrier seal without my chains, so this'll have to do."

Yasaka took a minute to look over her brush, it had a simple wooden handle, made from the wood of a Sakura tree, and pristine white bristles with a black tip. It was an artifact that had been managed to be saved from Uzu, this type of calligraphy brush was only used by members of the Uzumaki main family. This last known survivor tucked away in the scroll given to her by Hiruzen. It was special in that it converted one's chakra into ink, eliminating the need for an inkwell, even despite her Fuinjutsu abilities, she was nowhere near being able to solve and recreate the seals on it.

Kakashi nodded, "Alright, nice work. Once the others get back we'll discuss our plans for the week."

Speak of the devil, Naruto and Yuuko arrived soon after within a few minutes of each other, "The bridge is clear of traps and explosives. I checked all the equipment, and every square inch of the bridge, including the pillars underwater. There were a few thugs harassing the workers, but I encouraged them to leave." Naruto said as he sat down with them.

Yuuko took her own spot, "I looked over the town, it really is as bad as Tazuna said. Kids running around in rags, people stealing left and right, it looks like it's a miracle Tsunami and Tazuna still have food on the table..."

Tsunami, who'd walked in and overheard her, spoke up, "More like luck... I have a garden behind the house where I grow a lot of the food we have, and despite my Tou-san's drinking problem, he's always been good at saving money. Still, we can only last for so long..."

Yasaka gave a small smile, "Well, on the bright side, you won't have to worry about Gato for much longer, once the bridge is built he'll be out of luck."

The Jonin f the group cleared his throat, calling attention back to himself, "Alright, here's the plan, we'll keep the training light, nothing too strenuous. Keep it limited to things we can do while guarding Tazuna and his family. We'll swap shifts every day, starting tomorrow with Naruto and I guarding Tazuna, the rest of you stay here. We've all got Yasaka's SOS seals, so we'll be able to contact each other if we need to. For tonight, let's just focus on getting some rest..."

* * *

_\- A few Days Later - _

Naruto rolled his shoulders as he walked through the forest. He groaned at the dull ache in his chest, _'Well, at least it's getting less painful...' _They'd been in Nami for a few days and not much had happened, they'd taken turns guarding Tazuna and his family as per the usual. Naruto decided to go on a walk for two reasons, he just needed some air, and he didn't want his friends to notice that his condition was flaring up. Thankfully, this time was nowhere near as bad as before, it was just a dull ache in his chest and body.

He decided to rest against a tree, and as the pain subsided, he found himself dozing off. He sat there for a few hours until his sensing ability warned him of someone approaching. He opened his eyes to see a girl in a pink Yukata carrying a basket. She looked at him with surprise, "You know, you shouldn't sleep out here, you could get sick." Her eyes flicked to his hitai-ate, "Are you a Shinobi?"

Naruto took a deep breath, his pain gone, "Yup, from Konoha. As to getting sick, I never do, sleeping outside won't hurt me a lot. Name's Naruto, what brings you out here into the forest?"

She gained a small smile, "My name is Haku. I'm gathering some herbs for a friend, he was injured a while ago and I'm trying to help him."

"Well, as long as I'm here, could you use an extra pair of hands?" Naruto asked with a grin, standing up.

Haku nodded and the two set to work picking herbs, with Haku giving Naruto some tips on which were the best ones. After a few minutes, she turned to him, "Naruto-san, why do you fight?" At his questioning look, she elaborated, "I believe that when someone has something to protect, they become truly strong. So, why do you fight?"

Naruto was about to answer, but stopped for a minute. Why did he fight? What reason did he have for becoming a Shinobi? He didn't do it to protect the girls, they were all strong on their own... Now that he thought of it, he didn't really have anything driving his actions... Yuuko wanted to bring her brother to justice and make her family proud, Hinata wanted to head her family and unite them, and Yasaka wanted to become the strongest Uzumaki in history, using their two most feared traits, Kenjutsu and Fuinjutsu.

What reason did Naruto have?

He'd only become a Shinobi because the girls wanted to... Upon thinking about it, he was always following their lead. He trained with Inu because Yasaka wanted to, and he'd taken the advanced Genin test because the girls wanted to. He didn't have anything really driving him, he didn't have any family to make proud, he couldn't say he fought to protect his teammates, they helped him just as much as he did them...

"You know, Haku-san... I really don't know. I'd thought I was doing it for a reason, but now I realize, I don't have one." Naruto said as he stared at nothing, deep in thought.

Haku stared for a minute, "Well, I didn't really have a reason to live when I was a child. My family life wasn't the best, and I lost everything, but I found my reason to live. Maybe you just haven't found your reason yet?" She said as she put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto nodded as they finished gathering herbs, "Well, thank you Naruto-san, these will be a big help!"

Naruto nodded and watched as Haku walked away, "No problem, also tell Zabuza he'd better be ready for another ass-kicking!" He chuckled as she dropped the basket and spun around, gripping a pair of senbon, "I'm a sensor, you put up an amazing act, but you can't hide your chakra levels." As she prepared to attack, he put his hands up, "Calm down, if I wanted you dead I wouldn't have told you I knew who you were."

Haku narrowed her eyes, "So why didn't you kill me?"

"Why didn't you kill me?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, "You seem like a good person, so I won't hurt you. However, that might be different if we see each other on the bridge at the end of the week."

Haku nodded and slowly put her senbon away, picking up her basket and herbs, "For what it's worth Naruto-san, I hope you find a reason to fight soon. If you don't, I'll kill you no matter what tricks you pull." With that, she disappeared in a Shunshin.

Naruto stood there for a minute before starting back toward the house.

When he arrived, he found everyone sitting down to eat, "I met the Hunter-nin." Everyone turned to him in surprise, "She was gathering herbs to help Zabuza in a disguise. I sensed who she was and we talked for a bit."

Yasaka's eye twitched, "Let me guess, you didn't take her out?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nope, she seems like a good person, and she actually helped me put some things into perspective..."

Kakashi nodded, "Well, so long as you're ready when the time comes."

"Why are you even trying?" They all turned to the side to see Inari staring at them, "You're all just gonna die anyway, it's useless fighting against Gato!"

Yuuko tilted her head, "We can do it. We're all very capable Shinobi."

Inari shook his head, "You're all so stupid! Nobody can beat Gato and you all act like nothing is wrong! None of you have any idea what it's like to suffer!"

You could hear a pin drop as Naruto, Kakashi, and Hinata flinched. They could feel the subtle Ki emanating from Yasaka, and even Yuuko's stare became cold and hard. Yasaka was the first to speak, "You're a disgrace." Inari and his family were surprised at her sudden change, "We don't know what it's like to suffer? I'd imagine that if you lived a single day in my life, or experienced the things Yuuko-chan has, you would know real suffering. I won't tell Yuuko-chan's story because it's not my place, but as for me... Since the day of my birth, nearly all my home village has called for my death, I've been starved, insulted, and beaten for as long as I can remember. Do lost a family member? Would you like to hear about what I'd already went through at your age?"

Without waiting for an answer, Yasaka stood up and advanced on him, leaning down and staring Inari in the eyes, "When I was five years old, I was walking with Naruto one night, and we were stopped by a group of villagers. They dragged Naruto away to try and 'save' him from me, then started to beat me. They punched me, kicked me, and no matter how much I cried, they kept hurting me. Then, I heard them laugh about doing horrible things to me, one reached for my skirt, and I snapped." Yasaka's eyes took on a frigid light, colder than an iceberg, "I saw red, and felt a burning hot rage fill my senses. I killed them all, I tore them to pieces."

Tsunami covered her mouth with a gasp, and Tazuna was horrified, "I was in the hospital for a long while after that, therapy and mental training took up a lot of my time. If it wasn't for Naruto-kun visiting me and staying with me, I probably would've broke. I was weak, and let those people walk all over me because I was a scared, timid girl, so I vowed to never be weak again. So tell me Inari, which one of us doesn't know suffering?" Yasaka stood straight and walked out of the house, seething.

Yuuko watched her leave, then stood up to follow her, "My brother killed our parents right in front of me, then I listened to the screams of pain and fear from the rest of my family, and my relationship with my only other brother is almost nonexistent. Your story is tragic, but you'll find that there are many people out there who can match it, and also some who's stories are far worse than you. Be grateful for what you still have." The last female Uchiha left the house as well, going to talk to Yasaka.

Naruto decided to leave them be, Yasaka hated it when he saw her emotional, and the only one she would let see her like that was Yuuko. The two had formed a bond after they met, comforting each other when their pasts reared their ugly heads. With the evening taking on a sober tone, the others at the table dispersed, leaving only Tsunami, Tazuna, and Kakashi.

"W-was what she said true?" Tsunami asked.

Kakashi nodded with a sad sigh, "Unfortunately, yes... I can't say why, but a good portion of the village sees Yasaka as a monster, and it's caused her a lot of pain no child should ever feel. I'm thankful she has Naruto in her life, if he wasn't there I shudder to think what would've become of her." The rest of the evening was spent in silence, all thoughts of dinner gone from their heads.

* * *

_\- One day before the battle -_

Hinata sighed to herself as she and Tsunami walked through the streets of Nami. Things at the house were certainly tense after the altercation between Yasaka and Inari, however, it seemed to do the trick, as Inari apologized to them the next night. Things were still somber, but it was back to normal after a few days, with Inari being a bit more hopeful.

The Hyuga heiress had foiled a number of theft attempts over the course of their trip, and also shared some of her rations with any kids she'd seen trying to steal from her, "So, do we have much more to do Tsunami-san?"

The older woman shook her head as they entered a store, she was looking through the nearly empty stalls, "This is the last stop, then we can head back."

As they finished shopping, they walked back to the house. Once they got there, Hinata's blood ran cold as a seal on the back of her left hand started glowing. She took a look as the seal arranged itself into a message, [Naruto incoming. Condition.] Hinata's eyes widened as she pulled out her medical bag and threw it down, clearing off the table, "Tsunami, take Inari and Tazuna upstairs, I need this area clear!"

Tsunami didn't know what was happening, until the door flew open and Kakashi came in carrying Naruto, who was convulsing in pain. She quickly gathered up Inari and Tazuna, who had come back with the others, and took them upstairs, out of the way. Kakashi set Naruto on the table as Hinata entered 'doctor mode', "What happened, this seems more intense than before!"

"He was fine one second, then he suddenly collapsed and started this. We took him here immediately." Kakashi said as Yasaka and Yuuko stood back from the table, worry clear on their faces.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, looking him over as she cut off his jacket and shirt, "His chakra is going insane..." She looked over Naruto again, gritting her teeth in frustration, "The doctor in Konoha gave me these in case this happened again." She pulled out a syringe from her back and stabbed it into Naruto's arm, "It's a powerful sedative, there's still nothing wrong with him that I can see, so this will at least put him to sleep..." As Naruto passes out, the pain still going, Hinata looked even closer, "Wait... his bones..." She quickly ran a diagnostic jutsu and examined his body again, "His chakra is seeping out of his coils and coating his bones, it wasn't doing this last time! Or at least not this noticeably!"

Hinata continued her examination, then Naruto stopped moving, the pain subsiding. Hinata looked closely at his bones, "There are dark grey patches on his bones... I still have no idea what this is, but his chakra is clearly the cause... I don't know a better way to say this but if Naruto-kun wants to live, then he'll have to stop using chakra... At least until we know what this is."

Everyone fell silent as they processed this, Naruto was so powerful, but maybe this was the price... Without much else to be said, Kakashi took Naruto upstairs to sleep and the girls stayed downstairs to think. After a while, Yasaka went upstairs and into Naruto's room, sitting beside his sleeping form.

Yasaka sat there staring at him for a long time, then slowly nodded to herself, taking out her brush and moving Naruto's blanket down, revealing his toned torso.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he slowly returned to the world of the living, a slight burning sensation on his stomach. Something felt wrong... He tried to flare his chakra, but couldn't, then he panicked a bit as he realized he couldn't sense anything. He bolted upright, his head spinning as he woke up. He looked down and found a freshly painted chakra restriction seal painted on his stomach and chest. He turned to Yasaka, who was staring stoically at him, "Yasaka, what the hell, you sealed away my chakra!?"

She nodded and said in a serious tone, "Yes I did. Hinata said your chakra was somehow causing your incidents, so I sealed it. When we get back to Konoha, you're going to resign from the Shinobi program for your own safety."

Naruto sat there, stunned for a minute, "You can't be serious... Yasaka, I love being a Shinobi, I love being on our team, I can deal with the pain!"

Yasaka shook her head, "No, this is for your own good. That seal is only coming off with my permission, and I won't give it. I'm going to leave you to rest now, and don't make me seal you into this room, Naruto-kun."

Naruto stood up and grabbed Yasaka's wrist, "Don't tell me to rest, I hate it when people do that! Now Yasaka, you're going to take this seal off right now!" Naruto was rarely angry with Yasaka, and this was one of those times.

"Naruto, you will get back in that bed and stop trying to use chakra if I have to make you." Her voice started to waver, her fists clenched around her brush, "I will _not_ let you kill yourself."

"It's my damn choice, Yasaka! If I want to deal with this pain and keep working with you all then I will, and if I die then so what!?"

Yasaka spun around, and Naruto saw a sight he thought he'd never see again. Yasaka was shaking as tears streamed down her face, she was desperately holding back sobs as she stared at him with a combination of anger and sadness, "Don't you get it!? I don't want you to die! I can't even think about what I'd do if you weren't in my life!"

"Yasaka..." Naruto started.

Yasaka cut him off by throwing her arms around him and hugging him, something she hadn't done in a long time, "I know it's selfish, but I am forbidding you to die! You promised me you'd never leave me alone, ever! You swore you'd never break your promise!"

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_Four year old Naruto and Yasaka sat against a tree in the orphanage yard, watching the other kids play. Yasaka hugged her knees to her chest and sniffled a bit, she had just been denied a place in the game for the hundredth time._

_Naruto grinned and put an arm around her shoulder, "Aw, come on Yasaka-chan, we'll play our own game, and it'll be even better than theirs!"_

_Yasaka turned to him in tears, "Why do you stick around me? I just get you into trouble, and everyone tells you to leave me alone..."_

_"Forget them, they don't know what they're talking about! I'll always be by your side Yasaka-chan!"_

_"Pinky promise?" Yasaka asked as she held out her pinky._

_Naruto hooked his around hers, "I promise! I'll never, ever leave you alone Yasaka-chan, and I never break my promises!"_

_Yasaka gained a bright smile as the two set off to play their own game, ignoring the looks from everyone else._

* * *

Naruto stared at Yasaka, "Yasaka, I'm not going to die, I promise, so will you please take this seal off?"

She shook her head against his chest, "No! You'll die if I do, so promise me you'll just do what I say! Promise me you'll rest and resign for your own good!" She stared up at him with bloodshot eyes, "Please..."

What else could Naruto do? He sighed and resigned himself, "Fine... I'll do it." Yasaka let him go as he got back into the bed. He lie down in silence as Yasaka left the room.

As she left, Yasaka ran into Hinata and Yuuko, "I don't regret it." She said with conviction.

Hinata sighed, "I know why you did it Yasaka, and I share your motivations, but that was a little extreme."

Yuuko nodded, "You used Naruto's feelings against him and manipulated him. I'm all for keeping him alive, but it was his decision. You can't keep him a prisoner forever Yasaka."

The blonde narrowed her eyes and walked into the bathroom to clean her face, "I don't care. I'll do anything to keep him alive, even if he hates me." She took a few deep breaths as she stared herself in the mirror, "He already saved my life more times than I can count, in as many ways. I will not let him throw his life away."

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was sitting in his room, thinking. The rest of the team had left for the bridge, leaving him by himself. As much as he hated it, he knew that Yasaka needed him, and he couldn't go getting himself killed. He vowed he'd never leave her and that he'd make her happy no matter what, and if this is what it took, he'd endure it.

Suddenly, he heard a scream sound from the first floor, and voices, he stood up and made his way down, seeing Tsunami protecting Inari from a pair of armed men. He growled and rushed forward, surprising them and knocking one out. The other didn't even have time to do anything as Naruto grabbed his face and slammed him into the wall. He turned to Tsunami, "Are you okay?"

Tsunami nodded in relief, "Yes, but they said that the others were in trouble!"

Naruto sighed to himself and looked down at his seal, "Screw it", he ran out of the house, telling Tsunami and Inari to hide in the woods, "Dammit, should've grabbed a shirt..." He groaned as he ran, shivering.

* * *

_\- On the bridge - _

Yasaka grit her teeth as she blocked another volley of senbon, with a few slipping through her guard and stabbing into her. She was currently in the middle of a dome of ice mirrors, fighting the Hunter-nin, "I'm not sure where Naruto-san is, but his absence is somewhat of a weight off my chest."

Yasaka growled as her chains shot of her sleeves, acting as a shield from some of the needles. She needed to come up with a plan... Her Futon chakra infused blade couldn't completely cut through the mirrors, and any gashes she made were quickly repaired. She certainly hoped the rest of her team wasn't having luck as bad as she was...

Meanwhile, on another part of the bridge, Kakashi was fighting Zabuza, kunai against Zanbatou, "Gotta say Kakashi, I was looking forward to a rematch against your brats, but I suppose you'll gave to do..."

Kakashi stared at Zabuza through the mist, Sharingan spinning, "Well you might just get that chance when my team takes your associates down."

A cold chuckle answered him, "Sorry to say Kakashi, but they won't get the chance. You're down a man and Haku is just about done playing with your blonde brat. Once she's done, and I'm done with you, the other two will be a piece of cake."

"Damn it, will these guys just learn their lesson?" Hinata asked herself as she blew back another thug with an Air Palm. She and Yuuko were currently holding off a large horde of Gato's thugs. Well, Hinata was, Yuuko was dealing with her own problem.

"Dammit, will you hold still you little bitch!?" Yelled a man with an Ame hitai-ate as he swing a lightning sword at Yuuko, who gracefully dodged his strikes.

Yuuko carefully watched him with her Sharingan, "Aoi Rokusho, former Konoha-nin who stole the Nidaime's Raijin and defected to Ame. I'm sure we;ll get a sizable bonus to out pay for taking you down." She dodged a downward swing and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back, He landed hard and groaned at the burn he'd received.

As Rokusho stood up, he grit his teeth, "Alright... Time to take you seriously..." Before he could move, Naruto leaped over him, springing off his head and running toward the center of the bridge.

Hinata shook her head, "Should've known..."

Yuuko nodded in agreement, settling into the Interceptor Fist stance, "Hopefully he can convince Yasaka to remove the seal..."

* * *

Yasaka took a few deep breaths as she stood up, covered in needles, "Damn you... I swear I'll break these mirrors if it's the last thing I do!"

Haku brandished a few more senbon, "Please, by all means. By the time you manage, I'll have killed you." She tossed the needles, and Yasaka braced for the pain.

"Move you moron!" Naruto yelled as he tackled Yasaka out of the way. The two rolled to the side as the senbon were embedded into the ground where Yasaka once stood.

Once the two stood up, Yasaka glared at Naruto in anger, "Why are you here!? I told you to rest!" She gasped as Naruto grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close to him.

"Listen up, Yasaka, because I won't say this twice. I'm gonna keep being a Shinobi, and I'm not gonna die! If you really think I'm going to die because of something as stupid as a chest pain, then you don't know me as well as you think you do! Now take this damn seal off or we're both gonna die!"

Yasaka grit her teeth again as she stared at him, before shaking her head, tears welling up, "Fine! But I'm putting that seal on after this, I still refuse to let you die!" Her hand lit up in chakra, focusing on her fingertips. Just before she could unlock the seal, however, a pair of senbon flew through the air and nailed Yasaka in the neck.

Naruto was frozen as Yasaka stood for a second, before falling over with a lout thud. Naruto stared disbelievingly at Yasaka's wide-eyed, still form. Haku spoke above the silence, "I'm sorry, but I hope you can understand... Is this the first time you've lost someone? Well, don't worry, you won't be living with it for long."

Everything seemed to slow down for Naruto as he stared at Yasaka. The only thing he heard was the beating of his own heart, then another feeling entered, pure, white-hot pain. He screamed in pain as his condition flared up, worse than ever before. His chakra strained against the seal, burning, agonizing pain filling every bit of Naruto's being. Suddenly, he blacked out.

* * *

_\- ? - _

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself standing in an elegant ballroom. It was of the highest quality, like something out of a storybook, opulent decorations and furniture decorated the place, with a single table sitting in the center, two chairs on each side. Naruto looked down at himself to find he was wearing an expensive black suit, with a blue button down shirt, black vest, and black tie, complete with expensive leather shoes. He looked around the room, _'Where the fuck am I now!? Did I die too?_ What_ the fuck!?'_ He thought to himself.

"Now, now, there's no need for that kind of language. You're not dead, and I only wish to talk. Not that it really matters, you won't remember any of this anyway." Naruto's eyes snapped to the source of the voice, an almost inhumanly beautiful woman was sitting at the table. She had long brown hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a white ballgown.

She gave him a motherly smile and gestured to the other chair, "Please, sit down Naruto-chan."

Naruto hesitated for a minute, before walking over and sitting down across from her, keeping his guard up the entire time. She poured some tea for them and drank some, Naruto stared at it, and she chuckled a bit, "It's not poisoned, you have my word."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, "How do I know your word is worth anything? Who are you and where are we?"

She shook her head with a smile, "That's not important, we're here to talk about you Naruto-chan. I want to talk to you about some things, and your responses will determine whether you live or die..."

"Yeah... I'd love to, but I gotta go, my friends need me." As Naruto got up and walked away, the woman sighed.

"You're very stubborn, you know that? I guess you get that from your mother..."

That did it, Naruto stopped for a minute before turning around and walking back to the table, sitting down again, "Okay... You've got my attention. So let's talk, also I know your threat is hollow, I'm dying of some disease anyway."

She smiled at him, "Oh, it's no disease! It's one of the seals I put on you breaking."

Naruto held up a hand to stop her, "Whoa whoa! You put seals on me? I haven't seen any, and nobody else has."

"Oh, Naruto-chan... If I put a seal on you, nobody would ever find it. Now, this seal is breaking and trying to give you a trait of your mother's it's been holding back. The pain you feel is the seal cracking and breaking, so if I don't remove the seal naturally, you'll die." She shook her head, "Anyway, back to what I was saying earlier... I want to know what drives you, Naruto-chan. To paraphrase Haku-chan, why do you fight?"

Naruto stared at her, "You're giving away a lot of information here..."

She rolled her eyes, "I already told you, you won't remember this. Now don't try to dodge the question again and answer." She said with a small glare.

A groan escaped Naruto's throat as he leaned back, "I don't know... I've thought about it a lot over the past few days, but I can't think of anything..."

"Well, why did you run to the bridge to help them, even though you knew you might die?" The woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanted to help them. Nothing more, nothing less, they're my friends. They don't need me to protect them, but I still want to be there for them." Naruto said, swirling his tea in it's cup before taking a sip.

She smiled at him, "There are many forms of protection Naruto-chan... They may not need a knight in shining armor, at least not always, but you mean more to them than you could ever know. So, if you can't live for yourself, then live for them. You're still young, you don't have to have your life and motivations figured out yet."

Naruto returned the smile, he didn't know why, but this woman made him relax, "Thanks, that actually helps... So if it's not too much trouble, could you take the seal off and let me go help my friends?"

"I'd be happy to, Naruto-chan!" He sighed in relief, "Of course, there will be a price..." He looked over to her with a raised eyebrow, "In exchange for taking your seal off, someone you know will die. I won't tell you who, but you'll be trading their life for yours." She saw his horrified look, "Well there's nothing to be afraid of! You won't remember any of this, so there's no harm done!"

Naruto set his tea down and gave her a hard look, "No deal." Seeing her surprise, he kept talking, "I can't accept that, I'll kill myself before I take the life of an innocent to save my own."

She raised a delicate eyebrow, "Well, I'm sure you would be better off without some of them... What about Yasaka? She stole your chakra from you, she dared take something that belonged only to you! That chakra is yours, how dare she take it from you!?" She stood up and glared at him, "Don't you want her dead for that?"

Naruto stood up and glared right back, "Never! I didn't like it when Yasaka-chan sealed my chakra, but I would do anything to never see her in pain like that ever again! ...Seeing her cry like that after so long tore at me. Knowing that it was me who broke her strong image and made her go back to the side of herself she hated, it made me feel terrible..." The woman stared at him in silence, "I've made up my mind. I'm going to be there for her, no matter what happens! At least... I would've, but now she's dead... I failed her..."

The woman shook her head, "Calm down drama queen, Haku-chan just put her into a death-like state, you should've realized that."

Naruto's head shot up, before happiness and relief flooded his face, "Oh, thank Kami..."

"You're welcome!" She laughed at Naruto's stunned look, "Well, I think I know all I needed to know. You're a good boy Naruto-chan, and I think I'll let you keep one thing from our little talk."

"W-wait, hold on, I have questions, about my mother, about you, about a ton of stuff!" Naruto said as he moved around the table in front of her.

Kami smiled at him and held up a hand to stop him, "Remember, you'll only remember one thing from this, right now, you have somewhere else to be, Naruto-chan. Take care of the girls and live a good life!" She tapped his forehead and he disappeared. Kami looked around the ballroom, "I don't care what you say, Yami-chan, I like him, as a matter of fact, I'll unlock another ability of his, whether or not he figures it out is up to him however!"

* * *

_\- Back on the bridge - _

Haku watched as Naruto thrashed on the ground in pain, she didn't know what was happening, but she had to end this quickly, She noticed Yasaka twitching, pulling herself to her knees, the senbon having been pushed out by a red energy. Just as Haku was about to finish them off, Naruto stopped moving, and his breathing seemed to stop for a few seconds. Yasaka stared in horror for a minute, and just as she was about to cry out, raw, powerful chakra started to swirl around Naruto, Yasaka's seal breaking and disappearing in seconds.

The chakra covered Naruto, concealing him as waves of power flowed over the bridge. Suddenly the chakra went away as Naruto stood up, he had no idea what happened, but as he stood, one thing rung in his head in an unfamiliar voice, _"If you can't live for yourself, live for them."_ Naruto took a deep breath and looked over to Yasaka, "Hey, sorry to worry you, but I think I'll be fine now!"

Yasaka was stunned for a few seconds, before she caught sight of something and screamed, "Look out!"

Naruto just stood still as a barrage of senbon hit him, the needles barely piercing his skin and falling off. Naruto turned to Haku and smirked, the Hyoton using Kunoichi was beginning to get worried, even more so when six dark grey bone-like spikes started growing out of his back, stretching diagonally upward. A small pair of horns grew out of his temples, they seemed to point forward a bit. (Imagine baby versions of Vasto Lorde Ichigo's horns.)

Naruto rolled his shoulders and flexed his arm, a protrusion of the same bone shooting from his hand, making a staff out of bone. Naruto swung it a bit, "On second thought, maybe not grabbing a shirt was the best idea... This is weird as hell, and it kinda itches... Ah well, I'll figure it out." He turned back to Yasaka, "Just relax Yasaka-chan, this'll be over in no time!"

Naruto turned back to Haku, giving a mock bow, "So, Haku-chan, would you do me the honor of giving me this dance?"

* * *

**Chapter End.**

So here it is! Sorry if there are grammatical errors, posting this rather late at night...

So, yes, Naruto's condition was the Shikotsumyaku trying to show through the seal Kami placed on him. I know it's just white bone on Kimimaro, but Naruto's version is more like a non insta-kill version of Kaguya's All Killing Ash Bone, so it's dark grey instead of white. Also, no, it's not gonna have the one hit kill thing for a _**very**_ long time.

Hopefully this chapter was good, and I'll get to work on the next one when I can!


	4. Chapter 4

Ugh, sorry this took so much longer than the other chapters, kinda lost my will to write for a while, family trouble. Also got a new computer and had to get used to it.

Here we are, the finale of the Nami arc and back to Konoha, like I said before, they're gonna be going on one more mission before the Chunin exams. Forgot to mention last chapter, Haku is the same age as Team 7. Someone pointed out in the first chapter I accidentally had Hiruzen call Yasaka, Naruko, so I'm gonna fix that. Also I forgot to mention, since Sasuke hasn't joined Sound yet, he doesn't have the purple rope thing.

Also, if I create a Jutsu, then I'll put it in the bottom of the chapter so you guys know what it does/means. Lastly, people seemed to want FemHaku in the harem, so in she is!

In case I didn't make it too clear last chapter, Kami was testing Naruto to see if he was starting to become like Kaguya. She isn't gonna kill anyone in exchange for his Shikotsumyaku.

Sorry if there's a lot of timeskips, for the life of me I can't find anywhere how long it is between graduation and the Chunin exams... I'm assuming at least a few months, hence the multiple missions to give Team 7 things to do while the rookies are doing D-ranks and starting their careers. I also don't know Japanese cooking, so there's gonna be random food from other cultures sprinkled in.

Now, Team 7's next mission, It's gonna be slightly original. It'll be based on a mission in an old PS2 Naruto game I have, Uzumaki Chronicles specifically, of course I'm gonna tweak it to suit the story.

Speaking of missions, this one is primarily gonna focus on Naruto, with not a lot of focus on the girls, I wanna try and give each character their own missions where they'll have a 'moment' to be a badass and save the day. Or do it One Piece stye where they each have their own villain to beat. Just wanted to let you guys know in case it looks like I'm just pushing the girls to the side to make room for Naruto.

Lastly, not sure if I mentioned this before, but when the members of Team 7 are just hanging out at their places, they're in their comfort clothes mentioned in the first chapter. It's nothing complicated, just no jackets, gloves, or weapons, in the case of those who have them.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.**

**Chapter 4: Bad to the Bone... Need to work on that...**

* * *

Naruto spun his new bone staff around a bit as he and Haku had a stare-down. Truth be told he thought this would be a fair fight, Haku might not be able to hurt him with her senbon, but he wasn't sure he could break her mirrors, "Yasaka, put up a barrier around yourself, you're still weak from those senbon, and this could get pretty hot." He flicked his staff as it slammed onto the ground.

Yasaka sniffled a bit, trying to hold in her tears at seeing him alive, "I don't know what happened to you, but if you lose I'll bring you back to life and kill you again!" Her chains shot out around her, forming a dome. A barrier of chakra formed between them, leaving enough space for Yasaka to see through.

Naruto shot forward, bringing his staff up. Haku quickly flew from the mirror just as Naruto hit it, the mirror had a large crack in it, and Naruto was smirking in victory, "Don't get too cocky." Haku said as the mirror repaired itself, albeit a bit slower than last time. Haku quickly brandished more senbon and quickly started flying between mirrors, bombarding Naruto with a hail of needles. Naruto flinched a bit at the sharp sting from the needles poking him, but was very happy knowing they were only penetrating the surface of his skin.

They seemed to be at a stalemate, and Haku realized this, so after a few minutes she stepped out of the mirror and the dome fell to pieces, "It looks like we'll have to settle this the old fashioned way. We're getting nowhere inside my mirrors."

As the two squared off, Naruto spoke, "So, exactly how did you fall in with Zabuza anyway Haku?

Seeing no harm in the question, Haku indulged him, "Zabuza-sama saved my life. Do you know of the Bloodline Purges in Kiri?" At Naruto's nod, Haku continued, "My mother was descended from the Yuki clan, and I activated the Hyoton Kekkei Genkai. She told me to never use it, but it was too late. My father was a die-hard supporter of the Mizukage, and he killed my mother. He would've killed me had I not done it to him first." Naruto listened in silence, "I was homeless, with nothing to live for until Zabuza-sama found me. He saw my worth and trained me, taking care of me. He always told me I was his tool, his weapon, but he wouldn't give his weapon the last of the food when it meant he wouldn't have any... He saved my life and took care of me when I was weak, so I will do anything to help him." She finished and brandished her senbon.

Naruto settled into his stance, "I see... For what it's worth, I'd rather it didn't have to go this way, Haku-chan." He charged forward, the two clashing staff against senbon. They were evenly matched in speed, but it quickly became obvious that Naruto held an advantage in strength.

Haku created a few water clones and resumed their fight, Naruto deftly deflecting and blocking their attacks. Naruto was never more happy that Kakashi made them all learn the basics of the common weapons... He was distracted from his thoughts as Haku appeared next to him and stabbed a senbon into his neck, then jumped up and kicked it, driving it in further. Naruto grit his teeth as he felt the needle pierce slightly through his bone armor, striking a nerve. He swung his staff around, destroying the clones and forcing Haku to move back.

Haku prepared her attack as Naruto yanked the needle from his neck, "Looks like I can hurt you, what about this, **Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"** A pillar of water shot up from below the bridge and flew toward Naruto, taking the shape of a dragon with glowing yellow eyes.

Naruto quickly went on the defensive, holding his staff against his shoulder, **"Doton: Doryuheki!"** A wall of earth sprung from the bridge, blocking the dragon. It cracked under the assault, but held firm.

**"Suiton: Sensatsu Suisho!"** Haku called over the roar of the attack, all the water that had flown over the wall formed into deadly needles. They flew toward Naruto with crashing force, making the horned boy gasp in pain as he felt his bones groan under the assault.

Naruto quickly created a Kage Bunshin and the two went through their own handsigns, **"Suiton: Muzurappa!/Raiton: Denpa!"** The jet of electrified water destroyed the remains of the earth wall and shot toward Haku.

The Kunoichi ran through her own long chain of sighs, and once the water got close, she threw her hand forward, frost coating it, **"Hyoton: Zettaireido!"** She flinched at the shock from the lightning, but her jutsu did it's work, as the water froze over near instantly, making a huge ice sculpture out of the attack.

Haku didn't have much time to make her next move as Naruto's clone appeared behind her, grabbing her in a full-nelson hold. She gasped as the real Naruto jumped over the ice, sliding along it, with a hand encased in lightning. Naruto ran toward Haku, gripping his wrist as he did, the lightning carving a trench in the ice as he ran. Once he reached her, he pulled his hand back and thrust forward, **"Chidori!"** Haku prepared herself for the pain, until the hand stopped just before hitting her, **"Shogeki!"** The lightning jumped from Naruto's hand to Haku, shocking her, forcing Naruto's clone to dispel, and making her muscles tense up. Once it stopped, Haku's mind was spinning, Naruto's modified Chidori stunning her, "Sorry Haku-chan." Naruto said as he threw his other arm forward, punching Haku in the face and breaking her mask, sending her flying across the bridge.

* * *

Kakashi grew very worried at the large surge of Naruto's chakra that had come from the ice dome. Still, his Sharingan was able to see that he was at least alive in there, so hopefully they'd make it out okay. He then dodged to the side as Zabuza emerged from the mist and tried to bisect him, the swordsman smirking at him below the bandages, he'd managed to give a good number of cuts to his opponent. The smirk disappeared however when the dome fell apart.

"Well, looks like your apprentice couldn't handle my brats." Kakashi taunted, even as the sounds of fighting reached their ears.

Zabuza growled, "Don't get to confident Kakashi, I don't know why Haku released the technique, but the results will still be the same." He suddenly appeared directly in front of Kakashi, slashing with his Zanbatou, which Kakashi dodged. He wasn't prepared however, as the Zabuza in front of him turned to water and he felt cold steel against his back. Kakashi dove forward, but wasn't able to avoid getting a large slash on his back, "Come on, Kakashi, this'll be over in no time if you keep getting distracted!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and pulled out a small scroll, "Then I guess I'll need to end this quickly..." Kakashi opened the scroll and pricked his finger with a kunai, swiping his blood along a blank section. He then went through a small chain of handsigns before slamming his hand down, **"Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!"** A sealing matrix spread from Kakashi's hand as Zabuza retreated back into the mist.

Once the technique ended, it appeared like nothing had been summoned, "Well Kakashi, looks like that didn't really pan out like you wanted, did it?" Zabuza said, his voice seeming to come from everywhere.

The silver haired Jonin carefully looked around, "Actually, it worked just as I planned." Zabuza's eyes widened as he felt something suddenly appear behind him, then they narrowed in pain as a large dog landed on him and bit into his shoulder. It wasn't alone, as more dogs broke through the ground, biting his arms and legs to hold him there. Kakashi walked through the mist to Zabuza, "You may be able to hide your presence, but these guys can sniff you out no matter how good you are at hiding. Especially when you've got my blood on you."

Zabuza growled and was prepared for the worst, but their fight was interrupted by Haku flying toward them and rolling to a stop in between them. Naruto then walked onto the scene, helping Yasaka walk, both Jonin's eyes bugging out of their heads at his new look, "God dammit, I hate being right..." Zabuza lamented.

Hinata and Yuuko then joined them, the latter carrying the Raijin. Naruto blinked as he noticed the legendary sword, "What happened with you two?"

* * *

Aoi looked around, wondering who just used him like a springboard. He shook his head, turning back to his opponent, who wasn't even paying attention to him. He charged forward, swinging wildly with the Raijin. Yuuko turned back to him and dodged all his strikes, before grabbing his wrist, smoke billowing from it as she burned Aoi's wrist.

He growled in pain and pulled out a kunai with his other hand, stabbing toward Yuuko and making her let go. Yuuko returned to her stance, "You should give up, the Raijin is the only effective thing you have in your arsenal, and you aren't even good at using it."

Her opponent grit his teeth and pulled out an umbrella. Yuuko raised an eyebrow as he tossed it into the air, then her eyes widened as it opened and started raining senbon down on her. She weaved through them, sending out waves of heated air to knock some of them off course. Once she was done she realized Rokusho was in front of her attempting to stab her, Yuuko was getting a bit annoyed at him, so she decided to end it quickly.

Yuuko moved to the side and chopped Aoi's burned wrist, making him drop the Raijin. She moved to stand in front of him, and placed her fist an inch from his chest. It became wreathed in fire as Yuuko shot it forward, **"Hiryuken!"** Once her fist made contact, the fire disappeared, and Aoi shot backward like a speeding bullet, a short but powerful jet of fire, like a jet flame shooting from Yuuko's fist. Aoi flew backward so fast he slammed into the metal railing and dented it badly. The missing nin was dead, a hole in his chest where Yuuko had hit him. The Uchiha heiress picked up the Raijin and turned to Hinata.

"Calm down Tazuna-san, you'll be fine." Hinata said to her client as she tossed another thug off the bridge. She only had five left, and upon seeing that Yuuko was done with her opponent, launched into action, no longer needing to focus on protecting her client.

Hinata grabbed the shoulder of the one in front of her, vaulting over him, a palm strike hitting him on the side of his head as she went over. He collapsed as she landed, and two others ran at her from either side, intending to stab her with their swords. Hinata dropped down onto her knees and leaned back, letting the swords go over her, she then grabbed their wrists and pulled them across, making them stab each other. She quickly jumped up and moved in front of the next one, swiftly breaking his knee with a kick and slamming her palm into the underside of his chin on the way down.

She turned to look at the last remaining thug and smiled. He stared for a minute before running like the devil was after him and jumping over the side of the bridge, "Well look at that, one of them has a brain."

Yuuko nodded as she looked over the Raijin, Hinata activated her Byakugan and spent a few seconds looking around, "We'd better meet up with the others, I think the battle is about over with."

"Good, I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry Yuuko-chan."

* * *

"We just fought a few nobodies, you look like you've had an interesting time." Yuuko said, sweatdropping as Hinata was instantly by his side, checking him and Yasaka over.

Hinata finished up checking Yasaka, "Alright, Yasaka-chan, you'll be okay after some rest. As for you..." She said while turning to Naruto, her Byakugan roaming all over his body, "I've never seen anything like this... Your bone is all that dark grey color, and it's structure has changed. It looks like it's turned into armor under your skin, guarding your organs and veins like a fortress while still allowing full range of movement..."

"I know what it is." Everyone turned to Zabuza, "I could be persuaded to tell you what I know about it, provided I have your word that Haku won't be harmed."

Yuuko, who was busy restraining Haku, spoke up, "So, your condition was caused by whatever this is activating?"

Naruto nodded, "I guess so... How exactly do you know about this anyway, what proof do we have you're not lying through yur teeth?" He asked Zabuza.

"The Mizugake required everyone to read up on all the Kekkei Genkai in Kiri to prepare for his bloodline purges. So how about it Kakashi, what I know could help him learn to use it a lot quicker. I don't give a damn what you do with me, just let Haku go once this is all over... Please." The demon of the mist said, actually showing a bit of care for someone.

Kakashi coundn't see any deception in Zabuza's eyes, "Alright, you have a deal. Now talk."

Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages, "It's called the Shikotsumyaku, and it belonged to the Kaguya clan. The Kaguya were kinda infamous in Kiri, they attacked the village to prove their strength and ended up getting slaughtered, you could say that's what kicked the purges off. Even to the end those psychos were smiling like bloodthirsty monsters... If I remember right, the Shikotsumyaku is incredibly rare, and the only way to tell if a Kaguya had it was if they had pure white hair."

Everyone was silent for a bit, "Dammit, I find out about my family and it turns out they're a bunch of crazy assholes..." Naruto said to himself, "Also that doesn't tell me how to use it."

Zabuza cackled a bit, "Too bad, you made a deal!"

Kakashi finally spoke up, "Well, as informative as you've been Zabuza, I think it's time to end this." He went through some handsigns and lightning danced across his hand.

Zabuza grinned under his bandages, "Then bring it on, I'm not afraid to die. You just remember our deal or I'll claw my way out of hell and drag you down..."

Before anyone could move, they were all stopped by the sound of clapping. Everyone turned to see Gato walking toward them with an army of thugs behind him, "Well, looks like I can't depend on you for anything, can I Zabuza?" He stopped clapping and stood there, smirking at them, "Now that you're all weakened from your fight, then these men should be more than enough to take you out."

Everyone was silent, "Is he serious?" Yasaka asked.

Zabuza looked back at Kakashi, "Well, looks like we aren't enemies anymore Kakashi, so would you mind?" He asked, indicating the huge dog with his head.

Kakashi sighed, after all the damn dramatics... "Alright then, thank you guys, that'll be enough. I'll get you some stuff as thanks when we get back to Konoha, Kai." The dogs all disappeared, Zabuza groaning as he rolled his shoulder and held up his sword.

Meanwhile, Hinata was untying Haku and using some smelling salts to wake her up. The Hyoton using woman jumped to her feet, looking around. Once she saw Zabuza, she ran over to him, "Zabuza-sama! I'm so sorry! I'll make this right, I promise!"

Zabuza waved her off, "Calm down Haku, Gato betrayed us, so we're working with the Konoha ninja now."

Haku blinked a bit, before turning to see Gato and his army, "Oh..." She gained a frigid smile, "Then I'll make that senbon through the hand seem like child's play..."

Gato's eye twitched a she watched them talk, "Excuse me! How dare you ignore me!? That's it, kill them all, and hell, you can keep the girls of you want them!" He backed up as his army slowly started forward, confident they could kill the Shinobi with sheer numbers.

Yasaka growled as she stood straight, letting go of Naruto. Red chakra started to flow out of her, turning her eyes ruby red with slit pupils, thickening her whisker marks, and lengthening her canines and nails. She drew Yume and glared at Gato, "Alright, he's dead."

Haku's eyes widened as she saw the change in Yasaka, remembering one of Zabuza's lessons, "Is that... Are you a Jinchuriki?" At Yasaka's nod, Haku gulped, "Why didn't you use that on me?"

"Well, I was about to, but then Naruto-kun crashed onto the scene." The blonde said as everyone readied themselves for a fight, "So, think this'll take long?"

Hinata looked at them with her Byakugan, "None of them have chakra levels above an academy student. It'll be simple."

Yuuko activated her Sharingan, steam flowing off her body, "I don't think it'll take very long." She blinked then turned to Kakashi, "By the way Sensei, you might want this. I was going to give it to Naruto-kun, but he has his bone weapons now."

Kakashi caught the Raijin Yuuko tossed to him. He looked it over a bit, before channeling his chakra into it, a glowing blue blade springing to life with more power than Aoi could ever squeeze out of it, "Well, I suppose Nidaime-sama wouldn't mind if I used it just this once..."

The seven Shinobi readied themselves and quickly rushed forward, Zabuza and Kakashi arriving first in front of the army, swinging their swords and taking out multiple opponents with one swing. Zabuza's Kubikiribocho cleaving through multiple opponents and the Raijin sending out large flashes of lightning. They were soon joined by their students, Haku quickly learning to work with Team 7. She was sending out waves of water needles, taking tons of thugs out of commission. The rest of the team was fighting through the army with relative ease. It was soon becoming clear to Gato that his army was being slaughtered, and he made a break for it.

He was stopped however by Naruto standing in front of him. The white headed teen was leaning on his staff, smirking at Gato, between his horns and devilish smirk, he looked like the devil himself, "So, where do we thing we're going? What was that you said about letting your thugs do whatever they want with the girls?"

As Gato tried to beg for his life, the rest of the ninja showed up, having cleared out the rest of the army, "Please, I can give you whatever you want! Money, women, anything, I swear!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and spun his staff, which snapped in half and started crumbling to ash. Naruto raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. Hinata walked over and watched it crumble with him, "Interesting... Looks like if they aren't connected to you like your spikes or horns they turn to ash after a while... We'll have to test that."

Naruto looked at his hand, then he thrust it toward Gato, a spike sprouting from his palm that pierced Gato right through the head, killing him, "Well damn, I can shoot stuff to!"

Tazuna, who'd been on the sidelines of everything, walked over to them, "So... Is it over?"

After that, they heard the marching of more feet, and groaned at what they thought was another army. It was, but it was an army of the villagers of Nami, lead by Inari. They looked around the bridge at the bodies, lingering on Gato, "Did we miss the whole thing?" Inari asked, holding his crossbow.

Hinata chuckled, "It would appear so, Inari-kun."

Naruto slumped his shoulders, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted..." He said as he started walking back to Tazuna's house.

Tsunami widened her eyes at his new look, "Um... Are you alright Naruto-san?"

"Yeah, just a growth-spurt..."

Yuuko walked over and poked his horn, "Speaking of, how do you get rid of these horns and spikes? They could be a problem at times..."

"Ya know, I have no idea... I'll figure it out later."

* * *

_\- Nami, three weeks later_ -

The weeks in Nami had passed in peace, it's people enjoying a happiness that they hadn't felt in a long time. Since all of Gato's thugs went down on the bridge, it left his manor completely open, so the people of Nami were able to redistribute all of Gato's wealth, getting the country and it's people back on their feet. While that was happening, Team 7 and their new guests passed the time guarding the bridge and relaxing.

Yasaka looked confusedly at Naruto, now minus the spikes, horns, and fully dressed, "That's your fifth glass of milk this morning, are you okay?"

Naruto nodded as he downed another glass, "Yup, just trying to make my Shikotsumyaku stronger." At Yasaka's dumbfounded look, he elaborated, "Milk helps build strong bones, so it should be vital for my techniques."

Hinata, who was sitting next to him, took on a thinking pose, "I'm not sure that's how it works..."

"That's stupid, your bones are strengthened by your chakra, milk doesn't do anything!" Yasaka wasn't as nice.

"Since when were you an expert?" Naruto asked his annoyed blonde teammate.

"You know as much about is as we do, even if it's your Kekkei Genkai!"

"Fine, we'll ask the expert! Hey Zabuza, does milk make the Shikotsumyaku stronger!?" Naruto called upstairs.

"How the hell should I know!? Just shut up and let me nap!" The swordsman called from the second floor.

Yasaka shook her head, "Whatever, that's not what I came here to do..." She gave Hinata a pleading look, and the bluenette walked into the kitchen. Yasaka sat down next to Naruto, "I've been thinking over these past couple weeks, and I've realized that there's something I needed to say that's long overdue." She looked at Naruto with a bit of hesitance, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have sealed your chakra and tried to make you resign. I was just so afraid of living my life without you that I couldn't even think about what you wanted, I was selfish and used your promise to make you do what I wanted, so I'm sorry..." She said with a bowed head.

Naruto was silent for a minute, before he chuckled and patted her head, "I already forgave you, Yasaka-chan." She looked at him in surprise, "I shouldn't have talked about letting myself die. I know that despite your attitude, you really care for me, and I care for you a lot as well, at least now we know that I'll be sticking around for a lot longer!" Naruto said with a grin.

Yasaka turned away with a smile, trying to hide her small blush, "Thank you... I'd better get going, I need to remove the seals before we leave later..."

Naruto watched Yasaka leave with a smile, he felt like this mission was just what they needed. It started off kinda boring, but it quickly evolved into something much more interesting. Add to it, he didn't have to go to the hospital anymore! Score one for team Naru- "Agh! Son of a bitch!" Strike that.

Hinata moved to sit next to Naruto again, a bit of chakra still coating her hand, "Oh don't be a baby, I know that didn't hurt that much."

"I thought you were done poking at me? I spent at least 12 hours in the last week letting you take notes on my body, I refuse to be your science experiment any longer!" Naruto said as he crossed his arms.

"I'm not experimenting, I'm making notes on the changes to you so I can better heal you when you need it. You should be happy it's me doing this and not the hospital back home." She thought for a second as she took out a notebook, writing in it, "Also, I only told you I was done to see if you subconsciously change your skeletal structure when you aren't on guard... You don't by the way."

"Gee, thanks..." Naruto said with an eye twitch. Hinata merely smiled and went back to her notebook, "So, we all ready to head home?"

Hinata nodded, "Yes, once Yasaka-chan is done removing her seals and Tazuna announces the bridge completed, we'll start on our way home. By the way, I don't think I ever asked, how did you get rid of the spikes and horns?"

Naruto shrugged, "I just channeled some chakra into them, then pulled the chakra in, imagining it was taking the bone with them. It seemed to work alright."

They sat and talked for a little whole until Tazuna walked in with Kakashi, Yuuko, Inari, and Yasaka. The old bridge builder was practically bouncing with excitement, "The ceremony is almost ready! We all agreed to break for lunch and meet back there to make it official!"

Tsunami walked out of the kitchen, much happier than the team remembered her being when they first arrived, "Alright! We're almost ready in here, just take a spot at the table and we'll bring it out." She turned back into the kitchen, "Haku-san, would you go grab Zabuza-san for lunch?"

Haku walked out of the kitchen wearing her pink Yukata, "Of course Tsunami-san, I'd be glad to." She walked up the stairs and everyone sat in silence for a minute, until raised voices started to filter down from upstairs.

"I'm not hungry!" The voice of Zabuza drifted down.

"Zabuza-sama, we are guests in their house, and if they ask us down for lunch then it's common courtesy to join them!"

"Too bad, I wanna nap and polish the Kubikiribocho and you can't stop me!"

All was silent for a minute, before a large slam sounded through the floor, along with a loud slapping sound. Soon after, Haku walked downstairs with Zabuza, sporting near opposite expressions. Haku's face was the picture of serenity, she smiled happily as she sat at the table. Zabuza however, looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a biju, he also didn't have his bandages on, showing his sharpened teeth. He sat down and groaned a bit, before Haku turned to him and he straightened right up.

Tsunami brought out the food, everyone digging in with gusto. After a bit, Kakashi turned to Zabuza, "So, have you thought about what you're gonna do now? Isn't there a rebellion going on in Kiri?"

The swordsman nodded, "Yeah, I'll probably just keep wandering. I would go enlist with the rebels, but ninety percent of who I know is there don't trust me worth a damn. A ton of them would be all to happy to just kill me and keep my sword."

Haku nodded, "I'm not too eager to enlist in the war either, besides, where Zabuza-sama goes, I go."

Yuuko looked up from her food, "Wanna come to Konoha with us?" The rest of her team along with the subjects of her question went silent, "If you don't have anywhere else to go then why not? It's not uncommon for rogue Shinobi to fall in with another village."

Naruto nodded and turned to them with a grin, "Plus, we know Hokage-jiji, so we can vouch for you. After all, living on the run must be pretty rough. Hey Yasaka-chan, isn't the apartment next to ours open?"

"When we left it was, not a ton of people wanting to live next to the demon girl." The blonde said with a shrug.

"I'm sure you both will love Konoha! As the heiress of the Hyuga clan, me vouching for you will do wonders."

Haku had a bright smile, but kept her composure, "I would love to! It'll be so nice to have an actual home to live in..."

Zabuza however, was a bit miffed at his apprentice, "Hold on Haku, don't go talking like it's already decided! Even _if_ I were to take your offer, how do I know you'll keep your word? How do I know you aren't trying to trick us?"

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Do you usually nap and live around people you don't trust?" The swordsman's eye twitched, "I personally don't care if you come, but Haku-chan has become a friend of ours and we'd love it if she were to be our comrade."

Zabuza couldn't see any tells of a liar, and he could practically feel Haku's eyes burning a hole in the side of his head, "Ugh... Fine, you've convinced me, plus we don't have anywhere else to go, and it would be kinda nice to have an actual place of my own again..." Haku's smile widened as they returned to their meal, everyone being almost finished now.

Tazuna was finding the whole situation a little surreal, less than a month ago, two of these people were out for his blood. Still, he wasn't gonna complain, "Well, looks like we're all done, so let's hurry down to the bridge and open it for business!"

Everyone helped clean up and the group of ten headed down to the bridge. The workers had gone above and beyond to finish it after Gato's defeat, and with the help of the Shinobi and their clones, it got done even faster. Everyone was standing on the Hi no Kuni end of the bridge, the villagers of Nami there to see them off.

Inari grinned brightly at them, "You guys'll come back to visit us sometime, right?"

Naruto gave him a thumbs-up, "Of course! We might not be able to come back quickly, we have work and all, but we'll definitely be back to visit again!"

Yasaka ruffled his hat with a smile, "Look after your Kaa-san and Jiji, alright?"

Kakashi was chatting with Zabuza a bit away from the group, "By my count, it should take us just a couple days to get back to Konoha at Shinobi speed." He watched his students say goodbye to everyone, "In all honesty, we're lucky we got a happy ending like this at all..."

Zabuza nodded with a chuckle, "I doubt they'd be as nice to me if they knew I used to work for Gato. Gotta say though, I never though I'd be willingly going to Konoha, much less in the company of a ragtag bunch of brats like this. Still, I can't help but feel a little happy with how things turned out..." He turned to Kakashi with a glare, "That stays between us, I don't need them knowing I'm happy with this..." Kakashi nodded with a laugh.

With that, Team 7 along with Haku and Zabuza started on their way back to Konoha, waving to their former client. As they walked away, Tazuna realized something, "We need to give the bridge a name! How about, 'Tazuna's awesome bridge of liberation!'"

Tsunami shook her head with a deadpan stare, "I don't think that would work, Tou-san..." She gained a fond smile and watched the ninja leave, "We'd better thank out lucky stars we had them to help us."

Inari thought for a second, then got an idea, walking over to his sulking grandfather, "What about The Seven Star Bridge?" Everyone turned to him in confusion, "Well, the seven of them got rid of Gato and his men, and they're pretty much stars here for what they did."

Tazuna thought for a second, "You know... That's not half-bad Inari-kun. I like it! The Seven Star Bridge it is!" The people of Nami cheered and started to party the night away.

* * *

_-A Couple Days Later, Konoha - _

Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, the eternal Chunin, were partaking in their least favorite job, watching the main gate. However, they were relieved from their boredom when Naruto slammed into the ground just in front of them. He slid along the ground for a few feet, legs in the air, before he came to a stop. They sat there staring at him before he pulled himself up, "That was dirty!" He yelled as he turned back toward the path.

The rest of his team walked up, the girls sporting smirks, Yasaka walked over and poked his cheek, "No it wasn't, the bet was that the first person through the gate has to buy dinner. You were first through the gate!"

"That's because the second Sensei said it, you all ganged up and threw me!"

Hinata giggled behind her hand, "However it happened, you lost the bet, Naruto-kun!"

"Ramen sounds good." Yuuko chimed in, earning a winning smile from Yasaka.

Kotetsu shook his head at Team 7's antics, "Never a dull day with them around, is it?"

Izumo shook his head with a small smile, "Got that right."

Kakashi walked over to them, "Team 7 reporting home, with two guests."

"Sure thing Kakashi, so who're the... guests..." Kotetsu started to ask, until he noticed the intimidating visage of Zabuza Momochi.

Haku walked over to them, "Don't worry, Zabuza-sama will behave. Right?" She aimed the last word at Zabuza, who sighed and nodded.

"I take it you've got a hell of a story to tell, Kakashi." Izumo said, looking to the silver-haired Jonin.

"Definitely, so we're gonna make a B-line to the Hokage-tower if you don't mind."

Kotetsu nodded, "Yeah, no problem, just... You remember procedure, right?" He asked as a few ANBU dropped down, surrounding Zabuza.

Zabuza tensed and moved closer to Haku, "Stay close to me, Haku."

Naruto walked over, "Don't worry Haku-chan, it's standard procedure for any unexpected foreign Shinobi to get an ANBU escort through the village." She nodded and the group started toward the tower. They garnered quite a few looks, civilians wondering what the fuss was about and Shinobi recognizing Zabuza, then wisely choosing to stay out of the way. Once they arrived at the Hokage tower, more ANBU showed up, watching Zabuza and Haku like hawks as they started up toward Hiruzen's office.

Once they arrived, the secretary stared for a second before sighing, this was far from the most interesting thing she'd seen today, "Hokage-sama, Team 7 here to see you with ANBU escorted guests." She said into an intercom.

"Send them in, Shizuka." Hiruzen's voice said through the speaker. They all moved into his office as he finished up a few more forms. As the seven Shinobi all lined up in front of him, he finished his paperwork, "Alright Team 7, what madness have you wrought upon me today?" He took a second to look over the group, then at Zabuza and Haku, "You're all going to be the death of me..."

So they spent the next hour or two detailing their mission to Nami to the Hokage, everything from the attack of the Demon Brothers to Naruto's Shikotsumyaku. Said bone user letting his horns sprout out of his head and making a small bone spike to prove it. Hiruzen sat patiently through everything that was said and when the story was all finished, he thought for a minute, then reached under his desk, pulled out a bottle of Sake, and downed a few swallows, "Just when I think you three can't surprise me any more... So Zabuza-san, you wish to join Konoha's ranks?"

Zabuza nodded, "I got tired of being a wandering rogue ninja, and the brats said they'd vouch for us. Haku here was never a Shinobi, she's only ever followed me."

Haku bowed, "We'll submit to whatever test you have, we just want to have a home again. I also have a scroll my mother kept of Yuki Clan techniques, so I can teach rebuild them here if I'm allowed."

Hiruzen stared them in the eyes with an intensity not even Zabuza was prepared for. He wasn't called the Kami no Shinobi for nothing, "Very well, you'll have to talk to our T&I division, rest assured you will not be harmed if you comply with them. If they clear you, you'll be on watch for three months, you'll be free to train and wander about the village, however you'll be restricted from ANBU headquarters, along with certain sections of the Hokage Tower. After that period is over, you'll have a six month stretch where you can take on missions and gain access to the previously restricted areas, but you will not be leading missions until it's over. You also will not be trusted with village secrets until _I say so_. These conditions are non-negotiable, understood?"

Zabuza nodded, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Very good, as for miss Haku, you've said you are Zabuza's apprentice, so you'll have to share the same obligations."

Haku bowed again with a smile, simply happy to have a place to live again. Hiruzen turned back to Team 7, "Now to you five... Naruto-kun, you certainly don't do things halfway, do you?"

"What can I say, Jiji? I was just as surprised as you are." Naruto said with a shrug.

The elder Shinobi gave him a fond smile, "Well, you've all had a long mission, take the week off. Also, since you vouched for Zabuza and Haku, you're in charge of getting them somewhere to live." The Genin nodded, "Now, to the things I know you won't like... Naruto-kun, to the hospital with you!"

"What! Oh come on! Hinata-chan poked and prodded at me a shit ton while we were in Nami, can't we just give them her notes?" Naruto whined, slumping his shoulders.

"Reading and seeing are two different things. Still, since Hinata-chan took such good notes you should be out of there fairly fast, now off with you! Hinata-chan, would you make sure he goes straight there?" Hinata nodded with a salute, earning a glare from Naruto, "Now, until Naruto-kun has a handle on his Shikotsumyaku, you all won't be going on any missions, but you'll be receiving on-duty pay to compensate."

Kakashi nodded while his students groaned, "Is there anything else Hokage-sama?"

"As a matter of fact, yes! Since you've awakened a nearly extinct Kekkei Genkai, Naruto-kun, once you become a Chunin you can register you and any family you may have as a Shinobi Clan, entitling you to a seat on the Council. Normally there'd be an investigation and the council would have to deliberate, but that's more in the case of people without Kekkei Genkai wanting to create a clan, but since you have a true Kekkei Genkai, I'm sure they wouldn't object." Hiruzen said, making sure Naruto was paying attention.

"Well, I'm not sure Jiji..." Naruto said nervously, "It sounds like a lot of work... Wait, aren't you doing something like that Yasaka-chan?"

Yasaka nodded, "Yup, I'm in the same boat. The Uzumaki were allies with Konoha, but we never had a council presence here, and now that I'm the last known one, I'm doing the same thing. Well at least we won't be alone now!"

Yuuko looked over to them, "Did you two forget about me and Hinata-chan? We'll be learning the ropes of the council once we become Chunin too. We are the heiresses of our respective clans after all." Thinking of, Yuuko was very grateful Sasuke didn't give a damn about heading the family... It might cause some ugly family drama if he did.

Hiruzen looked over at his clock, "Well I think that's enough exposition for today. You four head home and relax, Kakashi, if you would go with Zabuza and Haku-san to T&I?"

Kakashi nodded before turning to his team, "Alright, take some time to decompress and we'll meet up at Training ground 7 one week from now at 7:00 sharp."

Just before they left, Hiruzen left Naruto with one last thing, "You may want to practice your signature again, Naruto Kaguya." Naruto stopped and thought for a minute. He never had a family name before, he was always just Naruto...

"Naruto Kaguya." He said to himself before smiling to himself, he didn't know why, but it made him kinda happy.

As the Genin left, Kakashi reached into his pack and unsealed the Raijin, getting wide eyes from Hiruzen, "So, what should we do with this?"

* * *

_\- One Month Later - _

"Haku-chan, your cooking is the best thing I've ever experienced." Yuuko said as she twirled some spaghetti onto her fork and inhaled it. The Genin of team 7 were currently sitting in Haku and Zabuza's apartment, enjoying the Hyoton user's fine cooking. Their new neighbor's apartment was very similar to theirs, the only difference being the light blue paint on the walls.

"Thank you Yuuko-chan, Zabuza-sama can't cook, so someone had to. It's gotten to the point where he'll starve if I'm not there to make something." Haku said as she turned the stove down before sitting in front of her own plate.

Naruto grinned as he tucked in, "Well we're sure happy you invited us over! None of these girls can even boil water!" He smirked as he was hit with three separate strikes, none of which affected him, "Ha! Shikotsumyaku renders your attacks ineffective!" Speaking of, Naruto had tweaked his clothes just a bit for easier access to his abilities. Instead of his long-sleeved shirt, he was wearing a white, sleeveless zip-up shirt.

Yasaka's eye twitched, "Dammit, smacking him was the one thing that got him to behave..."

Hinata chuckled, "Well I'm sure we can find something to do to him later. By the way Haku-chan, where's Zabuza tonight?"

"He went out for a walk, I think he's found a new drinking buddy other than Kakashi-san. He came back a few nights ago grumbling about a, 'Purple haired snake lady'."

"Sounds like Anko-sensei, I'm not surprised she took an interest in Zabuza. She always liked pointy things, and the Kubikiribocho certainly counts." Yasaka said before taking a drink.

Naruto groaned, "May Kami pity the poor bastard, Anko-sensei is cool, but she's a massive flirt. I've seen the most stoic ninja in Konoha get turned into blushing messes around her."

Yuuko looked over at him with a sly smirk, "You're just mad because she loves messing with you."

It was that moment that Zabuza decided to walk inside, he had since changed his outfit, wearing a standard Konoha Jonin uniform with the sleeves shortened. He was also wearing a Konoha Hitai-ate and had the Kubikiribocho strapped to his back. He took a look around the apartment before his eyes landed on them, "Ugh, don't you brats have your own place?" He asked as he walked over to the kitchen getting himself a plate of food.

Hinata nodded, "Of course we do, but Haku-chan's cooking is too good to resist!"

As they ate, Naruto spoke up, "Gotta say Zabuza, the uniform looks good on you. How's the village been treating you guys?"

Haku beamed, "Everyone has been very nice to me, though a lot of the Shinobi watch me pretty closely. Still, I suppose that's to be expected."

"At least you don't have the same problems as me... I can't go anywhere without ANBU breathing down my neck. Plus other than Kakashi, and to an extent the snake lady, nobody wants anything to do with me." Zabuza said as he took his seat.

Yasaka waved her hand, "Welcome to the club, I'm the president. Right now me, Anko-sensei, and you are the only members. You get used to it." She then looked over to the clock, "Oh, looks like I need to be going soon. I've got some training to do, I'll be at the hot springs for a while."

Yuuko raised an eyebrow, "The old pervert is back in the village?"

"Yeah, and he promised he'd teach me something good the next time he was here." Yasaka said with a grin ad she finished her food and left.

* * *

Jiraiya of the Sannin was having an all around good day. He'd gotten back to the village after a number of months away and, after reporting to his sensei, had gone off to partake in his favorite activity. He was scribbling in a notebook as he sat in a tree, looking into the women's side of the hot springs. In all honesty he did have somewhere else to be right now but it could wait, "Ah, it seems Kami-sama is on my side today, there are indeed some prime quality beauties in the springs right now!" He said quietly to himself, "Oh, today is a great day..."

"I agree, it certainly is."

Jiraiya stiffened as he heard the female voice behind him, and started sweating as he realized who the voice belonged to. He slowly turned around to find Yasaka staring at him with an evil smirk. The writer in him couldn't help but compare her to a smug empress, making her prey squirm, "Oh... Hello Yasaka! How are you today?" He asked nervously.

"I'm doing very well Ero-sannin. So tell me, what exactly are you going to teach me today?" The blonde asked with a grin.

"Well... I was going to teach you several quick-seal formulas for use in combat. From what Sarutobi-sensei told me, you've arrived at that level. Which I must say is very impressive, you've reached a level beyond anything I could do at your age!" He said, all too highly.

Yasaka put a finger to her chin in a thinking pose, "That does sound very useful... However, blatant flattery will get you nowhere Ero-sannin, anything else you want to offer?"

Jiraiya's eye twitched, looking between Yasaka and the group of women, all of whom would relish beating him to within an inch of his life if they knew he was there, "I suppose I could be persuaded to teach you the Rasengan..." He said with a small smirk.

That certainly caught Yasaka's attention, "The Yondaime's technique? Interesting... Alright then, I'll meet you at Training ground 7 after you recover!" She said as she quickly started on her way.

"Recover?" Jiraiya said to himself, before a kunai zoomed into the tree right beside his head, he yelped a bit, then started running when the women in the spring realized he was there. He spent the next hour being chased around Konoha, desperately dodging a large amount of pointy things being thrown at a particularly sensitive area.

* * *

Yasaka was sitting against a tree filing her nails when Jiraiya showed up, giving her a less than impressed look, "What? I didn't do anything!" She said with a small grin.

"Of course not, you just distracted me so I'd lose focus on staying hidden. You know, when Sarutobi-sensei told me he had a promising Fuinjutsu student for me to teach, if I'd known how much trouble you'd cause me, I would've said no." He was of course lying, he'd never pass up the opportunity to teach his former student's daughter, not that Yasaka knew it.

Said blonde shrugged with a cheeky smile, "But you did agree, and here we are! So without further ado, let's get started Ero-Sannin!" Jiraiya grumbled at the lack of respect before they got to work, "Also, why did you want to teach me the Yondaime's jutsu?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Well it'd be shame to let it die out with me, and I have a feeling he'd want you to learn it."

Yasaka narrowed her eyes in thought, "The Yondaime would want me to learn it? Small comfort for subjecting me to a life of hell..." She said to herself.

Jiraiya sighed to himself, deciding to move on as he unrolled a large scroll, showing a pair of basic sealing matrices, "Alright, this one is the physical formula." He said, pointing to the matrix with the Kanji for 'Physical' at the center, "It can act as a physical shield from attacks and projectiles. The more chakra you pump into it, the bigger and stronger it gets. Now, when I say physical, I mean non-chakra based attacks that have physical presence, it can however, block punches and kicks that are enhanced by chakra, but techniques like the chidori can still get past it since they are encased in chakra. Explosions can also get past it since they have no physical presence, after you get this down I'll teach you the sheild for them. This is the most basic formula, you can refine it to be more specialized toward whatever you want, I myself have ten versions of this seal. Of course, since they need to be placed on the hands, you can only realistically have two on you at any time, so keep that in mind."

Seeing that she was paying attention, he continued, "This other matrix is basically the same thing, but for chakra based attacks like jutsu. Once you've mastered it you can specialize it for a specific element, which will of course make it less versatile but stronger against that particular element. The Yondaime was even able to use this thing to block a tailed beast's Bijuudama during the Kyuubi attack."

Yasaka made an appreciative hum, "Hold on... What about Doton ninjutsu, they're chakra based but they also have a physical presence? Also Suiton ninjutsu?"

Jiraiya nodded with a smirk, happy she thought of that, "This seal works by effectively expelling the chakra from a technique, when a Suiton jutsu hits it, the chakra will be gone, but the water will continue on at the same speed and power it her, same with a Doton jutsu, so a specialized physical sheild would be better for them. Raiton, Futon, and Katon jutsu are fueled by the chakra inside them, so once it's gone they'll fizzle into nothing just like that. Of course, there are exceptions. Which brings me to our next lesson, the two types of ninjutsu; creative, and controlling." Seeing Yasaka's raised eyebrow, he continued.

"Creative ninjutsu work by making our chakra mimic an element, effectively turning into it. Katon ninjutsu are an excellent example, people obviously can't breathe fire, so our chakra mimics fire for the duration of the jutsu before turning back into chakra and dissipating. That's why there isn't a forest fire every other day from a Shinobi using a Katon ninjutsu, the fire just turns into chakra and goes away." Jiraiya took a deep breath before continuing, wondering when he became captain exposition, "Controlling ninjutsu work by wrapping your chakra around or injecting it into something and forcing it to change and work to our desired end, Doton is a prime example. Let's take the Doryuheki technique, the user pushes their chakra into the ground, breaking a piece of earth loose and pulling it up to the surface to act as a shield. On the other side is the Yomi Numa, where a person's chakra forces the ground to change into that of a quicksand swamp. With me so far?"

Yasaka nodded, clearly very interested.

"Good, there are of course, creative Doton techniques and controling Katon techniques. However they're pretty rare, since there's rarely enough fire just out in the world to justify using a controlling Katon technique, and why would you ever neef to use a creative Doton technique when there's rarely a time you're without earth? Raiton is mostly creative, Futon is mostly controlling, and Suiton is the most balanced between the two. You'll need to be able to tell what kind of jutsu your attacker is using to best decide which shield to use."

Yasaka was silent for a while, digesting all the information, before looking up with determination, "Let's get started then!"

* * *

_-One week later-_

Yasaka stared at the rubber ball in her hand with a feral grin, watching as it popped within seconds of gripping it. Jiraiya meanwhile, was staring at her with unashamed shock, his jaw damn near on the ground, "What the hell!? It took Minato years to make that technique and took me months to even start mastering it! You master the second exercise in a week!?"

Yasaka gained a smug smile as she looked over at Jiraiya, "Well would you look at that, I guess I'm just amazing." She said, examining her nails.

Jiraiya shook off his shock and rolled his eyes, "Whatever brat, now you've got the last step to work on, this time however, _don't_ pop the balloon." He said as he handed her another balloon, this one filled with air, before tossing her a scroll filled with them, "This step is for learning control, when you can hold it inside the balloon without it popping for a solid minute, then you've mastered the Rasengan, got it?"

Yasaka nodded, "I'll be sure to be better with it than the Yondaime ever was," She said as she walked out of the training ground back home.

"I have faith that you will." Jiraiya said with a fond smile.

* * *

Naruto Kaguya, he still wasn't used to that, was walking through the streets of Konoha in his full Shinobi gear, ready to take on the world with his new abilities. He was feeling particularly good today, maybe that was why he felt the need to call out to a particular Jonin he'd seen walking toward him, "Hey, what's up Yamato?" Remembering to use the new name Kakashi had told them he'd taken up since becoming a sensei.

"Oh, hello Naruto, I heard you had an interesting mission last month." Yamato said with a smile as they stopped to talk a bit, Yamato's curious team also stopping.

Sakura, being the most curious of the bunch, spoke up, "Um, who's this Sensei?" He was clearly a Shinobi, and about their age.

The wheels in Sasuke's head started turning the minute their sensei started talking to him, they were clearly familiar with each other, and he seemed to be about the same age as them. With their sensei's admission at having worked with them before, this could only be a member of Team 7. With that figured out, Sasuke stepped forward, "You're one of Team 7's members aren't you? I've been wanting to meet you for a while."

Naruto's smile got smaller as he looked over at Sasuke, Naruto wouldn't mince words, he didn't like Sasuke. Specifically for the way he ignored Yuuko, and if it wasn't for his respect for it being a family situation, he would've beat the hell out of Sasuke and made him listen to his sister. Still, that was no reason for him to be antagonistic, "That I am, Naruto Kaguya's the name, how can I help you?"

Sai meanwhile, was content to simply watch this interaction play out. It was clear to him that Naruto harbored some negative opinions of Sasuke by his body language, and Sasuke hadn't exactly been subtle about his desire to test himself against the members of Team 7. Sakura meanwhile, while not as attuned to body language as Sai, could at least sense the bits of tension in the air.

Sasuke gave a small smirk, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and I've been wanting to challenge one of you to a spar, Yamato-sensei says you guys are the strongest Genin in the village. I happen to be doubtful about it." He said, challenging Naruto's gaze with his own.

"Well, I'd be happy to spar with you Sasuke-san, but I have a meeting with my team in a bit so I can't afford to dawdle, so I'll have to take a raincheck." Naruto said as he started back on his way to the Hokage Tower, "See you later Yamato."

Sasuke watched him leave with a twitch of the eye, he'd waited weeks to fond someone he could test himself against, "I suppose it's for the best, you'd need time to prepare to fight someone like me anyway. I don't blame you." He remarked, trying to draw Naruto into a fight.

Naruto's footsteps stopped. Now, he wasn't normally one to rise to such an obvious bait, but if what Yuuko was said was true, then Sasuke was a bit arrogant, and needed to be taken down a peg before he got himself killed. Naruto knew that Sasuke was well above the level of a normal Genin, but he wasn't as strong as he thought he was, Naruto couldn't do a full on spar due to his time constraint but... "Alright then Sasuke-san." He turned around and faced Team 11, "How about this, when you can punch me and make me flinch, then I'll give you the spar you want, okay?" He said with a friendly smile.

Of course, this was a surprising stipulation to the three other Genin, and surprisingly simple. Yamato just watched, right now it was simply the start of a small rivalry between them, when and if it got more heated, he would step in.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, was he being mocked? Did Naruto really think that Sasuke was so weak that a punch from him wouldn't make him flinch in the least? He simply couldn't let that slide, so without hesitation, Sasuke lunged forward and threw the strongest punch he could muster directly into Naruto's face, intent on teaching him a lesson. A small shockwave erupted from the point of connection, catching the attention of the civilians gathered around. Sasuke smirked, until he realized something.

Naruto hadn't moved a single bit. He was standing there like a statue, looking straight at Sasuke, even as he held his fist against Naruto's nose. Sasuke pulled his arm back and watched as Naruto tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, not a single mark on his face, "Not bad Sasuke, that was harder than I thought, but you'll need to be stronger if you wanna scratch me." Naruto turned around and kept walking, waving at them as he left, "Keep practicing and one day you might get that spar!"

Sakura and Sai stood shocked at what they'd just witnessed, Naruto had taken the blow without any hint of being hit at all. None seemed more shocked than Sasuke, he was simply staring after Naruto, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened, he hit him, he knew he did! Yamato took this moment to speak up, "Alright, I think that's enough excitement, we have a mission to get to, so come along you three."

Sasuke simply stood there as his teammates shook off the event, he grit his teeth and realized that his hand hurt, punching Naruto had actually hurt his hand! The distance between them was far larger than Sasuke thought... He assumed that they'd be about even, maybe Naruto would be a bit stronger, but not by that much. "Sasuke, are you coming?" Sakura asked, after looking back to see Sasuke still standing there. Sasuke took a deep breath and schooled his features. He'd just have to gt stronger then, he stared after Naruto with steel in his eyes, a lot stronger.

* * *

Hinata raised an eyebrow as she watched Yasaka stare intently at Yume, "Still having trouble?" They were standing outside the Hokage's office, waiting for the meeting between their Sensei and the Hokage to be done with.

Yasaka turned to her and sighed, "Yes... No matter what I try, meditating with it, going through Katas, Yume won't accept me, I don't get it!" Soon after receiving the Uzumaki Clan scroll from Hiruzen she'd discovered that Yume and it's sister sword Akumu weren't _just_ her mother's swords. They were the ancestral swords of the Uzumaki, and had been worn and used by the Uzumaki clan head or heir since it's founding. They had special hidden abilities that could only be activated once the swords deemed you worthy of using them. Yasaka had immediately started working with Yume to try and unlock it, but no matter what she did Yume wouldn't accept her. "I just don't get it! I've tried to be worthy of the Uzumaki name, I've practiced all the disciplines, I'm learning the techniques, I've tried to live my life like my mother, but nothing!"

Hinata gave her a smile, "Didn't it also say that it took decades for them to accept anyone? You just need to be patient and believe in yourself, you can do it."

Yuuko nodded and placed her arm on Yasaka's shoulder, "Yeah, it's not like you're an anime protagonist with some godlike enemy waiting in the wings about four or so years from now." The ravenette said like she'd just dropped some amazing wisdom

The two other girls sweatdropped at the reassuring, but eerily specific method of cheering Yasaka up. "Um... Thanks Yuuko, you always know just what to say..." Yasaka said with a smile.

Naruto suddenly walked up, "Hey, sorry it took me a few minutes, had a little run-in with Sasuke."

Yuuko looked over to him, a bit surprised, "What happened!?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him.

"Relax! Nothing happened... Well nothing significant..." Naruto said, before recounting his tale to the three girls, "Then I left, that's all."

Yasaka smirked to herself, "Wish I could've seen the look on their faces when it happened." She said, giggling to herself.

"You certainly don't do things halfway, do you Naruto-kun? Always with the flair for the dramatic..." Hinata said, shaking her head.

Yuuko was still staring at Naruto, burning a hole in his head, before sighing, her look changing to a softer one, "Please just don't antagonize him... I want to help him through this, not force him to do what I want."

"I know Yuuko-chan, and I promise that I won't hurt him... Unless he actually gets a spar, then I will." Yuuko smacked Naruto for his response and the four lapsed into a comfortable silence as they waited for Kakashi to get done with his meeting and tell them their mission.

* * *

**Chapter End!**

There we go, finally done! So, we'll start the next mission in the next chapter, then I have something planned for between it and the chunin exams, where the 'Naruto neglected/abandoned' elements I mentioned in the first chapter comes into play, then the exams themselves!

So, a couple things. Firstly, should Kakashi keep the Raijin? I was gonna give it to Naruto, but realized that'd be kinda stupid since he can make his bone weapons and channel his chakra through them. So, should Kakashi keep it, yes or no?

Yasaka finishing the second step to the Rasengan in a week, if anyone has a problem with her doing it so fast, let me point out a couple things... Canon Naruto finished the first step in three to four days, the second in three weeks, and the third in one more week, this was with his still shit chakra control. It seems that if Yasaka's been training for four years, then her chakra control would be significantly better that her canon counterpart, so a week to master the second step isn't too far fetched... Especially since according to some math on the internet, it took canon Naruto just a week to learn the whole damn thing, which I seriously doubt, no matter how much protagonist power he had!

Lastly, Jiraiya's chakra lesson is something I came up with, it just makes sense to me. But don't worry, it's not a big part of the story, just something I threw in as part of Yasaka's Fuinjutsu training training so it's not gonna be mentioned much outside of the context of Yasaka making seals.

So there we go! Let me know what you guys think, and I'll get started on the next chapter when I can!

**Jutsu.**

Raiton: Denpa (Electric Wave) - C-Rank  
\- The user charges their hands with electricity, which is then transferred to anything the user touches. It's a support type ninjutsu that is best used in conjunction with water and/or melee strikes.

Hyoton: Zettaireido (Absolute Zero) - B-Rank Kekkei Genkai technique  
-Known only to the members of the Yuki Clan, the user instantly freezes any water they come into physical contact with. The larger the body of water, the more chakra is used to freeze it.

Chidori: Shogeki (Shock) - A-Rank  
-A special technique developed by Naruto, based on the Chidori. It is meant to stun enemies by shocking them with electricity, as such it isn't as deadly or as powerful as the base Chidori.

Hi no Karada: Hiryuken (Flying Dragon Fist) - C-Rank  
-One of Yuuko's taijutsu moves used in conjunction with her Hi no Karada. Yuuko packs her fist with intense fire and launches a one-inch punch at her enemy, the fire shooting forward with incredible intensity in a short range jet, capable of punching holes through it's target.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! No, I am not dead, just busy with college and work... Also I kinda had writer's block on where to take this mission, so I hope it's alright. I tried to go for a creepy feeling, with slight gore, nothing graphic or heavy, I just needed it there to make the plot I want this mission to have work. Speaking of, there might be some gore in the story, not enough to make it a necessary tag, but enough to be realistic for a story about Shinobi and a lot of fighting.

**PLEASE READ THIS PART IF NOTHING ELSE! ** Going into this mission please keep in mind that it's my first original mission, so it's probably rough! Also in case anyone figures out exactly what the villains of this mission are doing before I come out and say it, just trust me, okay? I know it's kinda 'Okay, even for all the crazy stuff that happens in Naruto, this is a little much...' But I have a method to my madness! Also don't go spoiling it, I don't think anyone will figure it out, but just in case.

So, here we are at Chapter 5 of White Moon, and I realized that I've been mislabeling something... When I say 'Naruto abandoned/neglected elements', I really should be saying 'Yasaka neglected/abandoned elements'... With that, I'm sure many of you have realized what's gonna be happening, but rest assured! I will try my utmost to make it original, make sense, and not be cliche.

Somebody said that I was making Naruto look a little arrogant in his Kekkei Genkai last chapter, and looking back, yeah I kinda did, I didn't mean to though. I was trying to make Naruto confident in his abilities, of course the line between arrogance and confidence is very fine, so I'll have to be careful of that. I wouldn't be opposed to making Naruto get a bit arrogant and having him have to get smacked back down to earth, but I just don't see it happening _right now_...

Speaking of, I just realized while writing this that Team 7 may be too perfect, and I'll need to work on giving them a few flaws...

Oh, and the drunk scene, sorry if it was painfully stereotypical drunk and not real drunk. I've never really been around drunk people or been drunk myself, so I hope it was okay.

Also, I was using a map of the nations made by another fanfic writer to set up some stuff and get a placement on the countries, so if you're curious, here is the link to his deviantart page for the map. On the off chance you see this, xShadowRebirthx, then thank you for making this, and I hope it's okay if I use it.

xshadowrebirthx/art/Elemental-Nations-Political-Map-317422394

Anyway, enough of my rambling, onto the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.**

**Chapter 5: The Mist.**

* * *

"So... What do you think our next mission is gonna be?" Naruto asked as they waited outside the Hokage's office.

Hinata shrugged, "Who knows, though it probably won't be as action packed as our mission to Nami, so don't get your hopes up."

The resident blonde gave a small smirk, "I hope it isn't, if we have too long of a recovery period, we won't be able to enter the Chunin exams!"

Yuuko raised an eyebrow, "You think Sensei will allow us to enter this time?" She'd be lying if she said the thought of entering the exams didn't interest her...

"Well, we're more than strong enough and capable enough, and we're old enough now that we won't be instant targets. I'd bet money that he's gonna let us enter, and I can't wait to kick ass!"

Naruto grinned to match Yasaka, "Dammit Yasaka, now you've got me all excited for the exams..."

Their conversation was cut off as the door to the office opened, Kakashi stepping out, "Instead of thinking about the exams, which you still might not be allowed into, you should be focusing on what we're doing now. Especially with this mission." He said in his usual lazy drawl, Team 7 stood at attention until Naruto noticed something sticking up over Kakashi's shoulder.

"You get to keep the Raijin?" Naruto asked. The rest of the team followed his gaze and, lo and behold, the hilt of the Nidaime's sword stuck over their Sensei's shoulder, much like a sword he used to use.

"Yup, Hokage-sama decided it'd be a shame to let it sit in the vault until it rusts, and since I'm the only Jonin in Konoha with a Raiton nature, he decided to let me have it." Truth be told, Kakashi had been wanting to try using another sword since the White Light Blade got broken, "Anyway, Hokage-sama was just briefing me on out next mission while you guys were out here."

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "If you were just talking about the mission then why were we supposed to wait out here? Shouldn't we be in there?"

Kakashi nodded, "Normally you would be, but this mission is a bit special. It's very high profile, and Hokage-sama wanted to see if we could handle it or if he should send ANBU. We're taking it, but we're also going to be working with another team and a Tokubetsu Jonin. Hokage-sama has already asked them if they're up for the mission, and they've been on standby for our answer."

"Which team and which Jonin?" Yuuko asked with a tilt of her head.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and seemed to look around for a second before freezing, "Oh no..." Everyone turned to her in curiosity until a loud voice came from down the hall.

"KAKASHI MY ETERNAL RIVAL! I CHALLENGE YOU!" Kakashi shook his head with a sigh as a cloud of dust inexplicably formed in the hallway, blasting toward them with inhuman speed, finally whatever was causing it stopped, allowing the dust to blow away. What was left was a sight that the members of Team 7 were all too familiar with, "DO YOU ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE?!" Standing there with a dramatic pose and twinkling teeth was Might Guy, Kakashi's self proclaimed eternal rival, and the Sublime Green Beast of Konoha.

Kakashi merely schooled his expression and turned to him, "Sorry, you say something Guy?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Guy started crying anime tears and leaned against the wall, Team 7 just staring with blank expressions, used to the occurrence. Naruto's eyes then went wide as he realized what usually followed the passionate Jonin, "NARUTO-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Naruto turned just in time to see a foot flying directly at his face.

As it crashed into him and he felt his feet leave the ground, he thought, _'Oh, right... dodging is a thing... It would appear that there are in fact things that can hurt me. One of which appears to be an excited Rock Lee.'_ He flew back and rolled along the hallway for a few yards before coming to a stop. Naruto hauled himself to a sitting position, rubbing his sore cheek, "Damn Lee, if I thought I was invincible before then that sure knocked me out of it..."

Rock Lee, in all his miniature Guy glory, gave Naruto a classic nice guy pose (trademark pending), with the gleaming teeth and all, "When I had heard that you had awakened a new Kekkei Genkai that made your body much stronger, I had to test it for myself!" Let it never be said that the Konoha rumor mill wasn't efficient...

He was about to settle into his Goken stance, before Tenten came up behind him and smacked him into the ground with a paper fan, "Dammit Lee, you can't go around kicking people! Just ask for a spar like a normal person!" She sighed and looked over to Naruto, "You okay?"

Naruto nodded with a smile after getting onto his feet, "Yeah I'm good. Also if you really wanna spar so badly Lee then I'll be happy to once we get done with this mission." That seemed to satisfy Lee as Neji joined them. The friendly atmosphere suddenly gained a layer of tension.

"Neji-nii." Hinata politely greeted her elder cousin.

"Hinata-sama." Neji returned with a barely restrained undercurrent of venom before turning to Naruto, "I heard you awakened a nearly extinct Kekkei Genkai, it seems every dog does have it's day." He said with a small smirk.

Naruto started forward with a growl, "Careful Neji, you keep kicking a dog then it's gonna bite." He and Neji had a bit of a staredown.

"If you want to do something, then I'm standing right here." Neji said, activating his Byakugan.

"You know, I can take a fair amount of Jyuken hits after awakening the Shikotsumyaku." Naruto said, one of his horns growing out, "Wanna test how durable you are Neji?"

They were interrupted however by Guy, who was now giving them both a stern look, "That's enough you two. If you want to settle your differences then do it on your own time. Right now we're going to be working together on a mission, so you both will act professional, is that understood?" It clearly wasn't a question.

The two Genin backed off and deactivated their respective Bloodlines, calming down and choosing to ignore each other.

Kakashi let out a small sigh, "I've got a feeling it's gonna be a long mission..." He mumbled to himself, "Well now that we've got the introductions out of the way, let's all head home and get ready for the mission, we meet at the South gate in an hour. This mission is gonna take a week or more, so pack for it. I might be a little late since I'm picking up out last teammate." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Guy gave the members of Team 7 a smile, "I look forward to working with you all! It's been a long time since we've gotten the opportunity to!" Tenten and Lee nodded while Neji seemed to ignore the conversation.

Yuuko shared the sentiment, "Maybe you can help me with some moves I've been working on Guy-Sensei?" The members of Team 7 might get a little exasperated with Lee, and might not like Neji very much, except Hinata, but they did enjoy working with them when things went well. So they all dispersed to head home and prepare for their mission, unknowing that it wouldn't be the simple mission that they'd hoped it'd be...

* * *

_-One hour later at the South Gate-_

The Genin of Teams 7&9 were gathered around the gate, waiting for their Sensei and final teammate to arrive, having some idle conversation about the mission, with Tenten posing a question, "So what kinda mission do you guys think it is? It has to be important, given all this preparation and secrecy."

"Indeed! Perhaps we are going to be acting as guards for a visiting noble, or engaging in some covert espionage!" Lee said with exuberance.

Yasaka shook her head and patted Lee on the shoulder, "Lee, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I don't think you and Guy-Sensei are very suited for espionage..."

The green-clad Genin merely gave her a thumbs up, "Of course! My flames of youth burn too brightly to be hidden by the shadows, I don't believe I could snuff them out even if Hokage-sama himself were to ask!"

"Very good Lee! Keep those flames of youth burning like the fires of a volcano!" Guy said as he suddenly appeared, his hand on Lee's shoulder and tears streaming down his face.

"Thank you Guy-Sensei!"

"LEE!"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

Everyone shivered as the fabled 'Sunset Technique of Youth'(Trademark Pending) appeared behind the two as they hugged. Hinata activated her Byakugan, "No matter how many times I see it, I can never fathom how it works..."

Yuuko nodded with her Sharingan going, "I keep looking for chakra or anything that can dispel it, but I can't find a single thing..."

Naruto simply stared, completely numb to the experience. Since he was Lee's favorite sparing partner behind Guy-Sensei, he was frequently subjected to this type of thing. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck from behind, and a pair of... soft items, press into his back, "Hey there Naru-chan! Kakashi told me all about your new bloodline, I'm sure there's a joke about bones and hardening in there somewhere, but that's just beneath me..." Naruto shivered at the voice in his ear, before the person behind him licked his cheek, "Speaking of being beneath me, wanna come back to my place after this mission?"

Naruto gulped, "Anko-Sensei... Can you please not?" He then breathed a sigh of relief when she let go and chuckled.

Anko gave him a smirk as his teammates noticed her, "Well, nice to know that no matter how tough you get, I'll always be able to turn you into a mess. Also I wasn't kidding about the invitation to my apartment, you're actually really cute!" She then laughed as Naruto blushed and turned away, crossing his arms.

An excited Yasaka quickly made her way over to them, "Anko-Sensei, you're coming on this mission with us?"

"You bet! No way I'd miss a chance to go on a mission with my favorite blonde!" Anko said as she put an arm around Yasaka's shoulder. Say what you wanted about Anko, once she met Yasaka and found out how most villagers treated her, she immediately took a liking to the her.

* * *

_\- Five years prior -_

_Yasaka wore an annoyed look as she was once again stopped on her way home from training with her tenant's power. Every now and again she'd have to deal with a few civilians who wanted to confront her about something or other, usually whatever went wrong with that that week. They'd usually find some way to blame it on her, "Listen guys, I'm not in a very good mood, so just fuck off, would ya?" She asked as she tried to walk past them._

_The largest one stepped in front of her, "Not until I get some answers outta you! I've been noticing a drop in my store's stock, and I got a feeling you're responsible for it!"_

_Yasaka groaned, "Look, I'm not stealing your stuff, alright? Now unless you have any evidence that I have been, then I'll just be on my way."_

_As she walked past, he got even more angry, "Now listen here demon!" He didn't get much more out as Yasaka spun around, throwing a punch into his gut that made him double over. While he was leaning over, she threw a kick into the side of his head, sending him into the air and to the other side of the street._

_Yasaka turned to glare at the other two, who wisely chose to high-tail it out of there, "Tell your friends not to bug me with this petty shit!" She yelled after them._

_Suddenly, she heard a voice from just behind her, "Well, that was fun to watch." Yasaka spun around to face a younger Anko, wearing a simple pair of workout shorts and a t-shirt, "Here I thought it'd just be another boring trip home, but that was a pretty nice little display!" She said with a smirk._

_Yasaka jumped back and settled into a fighting stance, "Who are you?"_

_Anko rolled her eyes and munched on a dango stick, "Calm down blondie. If I wanted to hurt you I wouldn't have said anything, I was just admiring your handiwork, not bad!"_

_"R-really?"_

_"Of course! Though, if I might make a little suggestion... Go for the twig and berries next time, I've made a game out of trying to get the most hilarious faces after I kick them there!" Anko said with a little laugh, "So... Why were those guys giving you a hard time anyway? You didn't actually steal his shit did you?"_

_Yasaka shook her head, "Nope, I just have to deal with that a lot... I'm sure you've heard of the 'Demon Girl' right?" The look on Anko's face told her that she had, so Yasaka just turned and headed home. While most Shinobi knew she wasn't actually a demon, a lot still didn't want a lot to do with her._

_Her progress was halted once again as Anko appeared next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Oh I've been wanting to meet you for a long time! You and I are cut from the same cloth, the Demon girl and the Snake bitch, that's you and me!"_

_"Wh-what are you talking about?" Yasaka asked, not used to people actually wanting to meet her._

_"I mean that people hate me because my former Sensei was a major asshole and betrayed the village, I might not know exactly what you're going through, but us pariah gotta stick together, right?"_

_Yasaka stood there blinking for a few seconds, "People hate you too?"_

_Anko nodded, "I'd also be happy to trade notes with you on how to both politely and not so politely tell them to fuck off!" Her smile then turned evil, "Also I'd love to have an apprentice in the art of teasing!"_

_"Teasing how, like seduction? Because I don't think I'm old enough for that..."_

_"Oh no, not that kind. More like, embarrassing people. Do you know any boys so I can demonstrate?"_

_"Well... I do know one."_

* * *

_A few minutes later, Naruto was minding his own business and reading a book, sipping on some tea, having an all around nice time while Yasaka made her way home. It was fairly dangerous for her to train with the Kyuubi's chakra, so Inu-sensei sent everyone home before they started. Speaking of, it was getting to be around the time when Yasaka got home, then speak of the devil, the door opened and Yasaka stepped into the living room with her new friend Anko._

_Naruto blinked a bit, but was glad that Yasaka had made another friend, "Hey Yasaka-chan! Who's this? ...Yasaka-chan?"_

_It was at this point that Naruto noticed the matching smirks on their faces. They both looked positively evil, like cats who'd found a particularly enticing injured mouse. Yasaka stepped forward, "Hello Naruto-kun! This is my new friend Anko-chan!"_

_"Oh, well it's nice to meet you!" Something inside Naruto told him that he should be running..._

_Anko stalked forward and smirked at him, "Hello there!"_

_Now that something inside Naruto was screaming._

* * *

Kakashi walked up and shook his head, Naruto was blushing and not looking at anyone, Yasaka and Anko were whispering conspiratorially with matching smirks, Yuuko and Hinata were staring at Guy and Lee's hug, while Neji and Tenten were simply trying to ignore the madness. "Alright everyone, time to go over the mission details." Once everyone was gathered, with Anko and Guy with him, he started explaining the mission, "We've been tasked with investigating Tani Village, a town just over the border in Tea Country. Many merchants who get off ships in Degarashi Port stop at this town to rest and sell some of their wares, since it's right in the middle of a canyon you pretty much have to pass through it to stay on the road. However, we've received a report from Degarashi Port that a large number of villagers from Tani Village arrived, talking about the village being covered in fog and taken over by monsters."

The Genin were all put off by this, and Guy quickly noticed, "We doubt there really are monsters in this village, but those people were truly scared of what they saw, so we're going to be investigating the village and taking care of whatever we find. Any questions?"

Tenten spoke up, "Did any of the villagers have any idea what these monsters were?"

Guy shook his head, "No, the most they could say was that people went missing in the dead of night, and all people ever saw were shadows creeping around town."

Anko added her thoughts, a kunai spinning around her finger, "Most likely it's a group of rogue Shinobi or bandits. We can't say what they're up to, but we're gonna find out."

The Genin spent a few seconds absorbing everything before Kakashi spoke up, "Alright then, the sooner we get there, the sooner those people can find out what's going on in their village, so let's get going." After receiving nods from all the Genin, they started on their way to Tea Country. Little did they know what awaited them there, and what would await them when they got back.

* * *

_-Hokage Tower-_

Hiruzen looked through yet another document in the pile he still had to read. He definitely needed to find someone to hand the hat off to soon, he was getting too old for this. Still, he had to power through for a while longer, if he retired now then Danzo would be the next Hokage, no doubt about it, and Hiruzen could not allow that. He'd just have to suffer through a few more years of this until another candidate appeared. Maybe Kakashi, or Jiraiya? He doubted either of them would accept, but there was still hope...

A sudden puff of smoke appeared on his desk, interrupting his thoughts, when the smoke cleared, it revealed a small toad, who spat out an envelope before disappearing. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at it, Jiraiya was still in the village, so why would he send a letter like this?

Speak of the devil, just as he was about to open the envelope, Jiraiya opened his window and hopped into his office, "So, Sensei, what's up?" He asked, clearly waiting for something.

"What do you mean? I didn't call you, I thought you wanted me to come to you since you sent a toad to deliver this." Hiruzen said, holding up the envelope.

"What? I didn't summon a toad, or want to send you anything..." With that, the two men focused on the envelope. Jiraiya quickly took the Toad contract scroll off his back and unrolled it, "I know it wasn't Yasaka, I haven't even brought up the Toad contract with her yet..." He looked at the two names, his own, and Minato's, now crossed off, "The hell is going on? ...Just a second." Jiraiya quickly ran through a familiar chain of handsigns before slamming his hand down, **"Kuchiyose no** **Jutsu!"**

One small puff of smoke later, a small, very old looking toad was in the room with them, it had a small amount of grey hair, was wearing a robe of some sort, and carried a cane, "Ah, Jiraiya-chan! It's been a while since you've summoned me! Tell me, how's Yasaka-chan? Ma and I have been wanting to meet her for a long time!" He then noticed the seriousness in the room, "What's wrong?"

Jiraiya bowed to the small toad, "I wish this were a casual call Pa, but we need some help figuring something out. This is my Sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi."

The toad hopped up on Hiruzen's desk and held out a hand to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you Hokage-sama, Jiraiya boy has told us all about you! My name is Fukasaku."

Hiruzen nodded and shook his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Fukasaku-sama, I just wish it were under better circumstances."

Jiraiya quickly got the old toad's attention again, "Normally I wouldn't waste your time with something another toad could do, but you're the expert on the scroll. Did you guys make a new contract, and has anyone new signed it?"

Fukasaku raised a confused eyebrow, "No, we haven't, that's still the only contract. What's this all about?" After explaining the toad and the letter, Fukasaku struck a thinking pose, "Well... That's a mystery... There certainly aren't any new contracts, actually... If I remember right, the night Minato-chan died, he asked Gamabunta for a one time summon scroll. He said he was planning on using it in case he and Kushina couldn't get back to the village after the battle with the Kyuubi."

One time summon scrolls were very simple items. They were basically a free summon, a shinobi could use them to summon an animal from their contract with no chakra required, they could even be used by someone who wasn't contracted to the summoned animal. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "Did he use it?"

Fukasaku shook his head, "I don't know, one time scrolls aren't linked to the main scroll of users, so we can't tell if someone used it or not. I suppose the only thing we can do is read the letter."

The three old men... Well, two men and one toad, turned to the letter as Hiruzen opened it up, examining it for any seals. Upon finding none, he pulled out the letter and started reading. As soon as he finished, a massive wave of killing intent washed over the room, even Jiraiya freezing up over the sheer amount, "S-sensei, what's in the letter?" Instead of answering, Hiruzen simply handed it over to him, his hat shadowing his eyes. Jiraiya started reading the paper as Fukasaku jumped onto his shoulder to read it as well. Soon, Hiruzen's KI was joined by two more sources as Jiraiya and Fukasaku finished reading.

Fukasaku then took a closer look at Minato's signature, and after a second spoke up, "Hm... I'm sure you both know that there's more than one way for someone's name to be stricken from a scroll."

Hiruzen finally spoke up, "I see then, so we're all on the same page?" After receiving a pair of nods he continued, "Then there will be hell to pay soon enough, we'll just have to prepare for when Yasaka gets back...

* * *

_-A few Days Later, Tea Country-_

Teams 7, 9, and Anko were currently standing on the edge of a canyon, looking down at the village they were sent to investigate. It was a rather good sized village, since it got a lot of traffic, nestled snugly in the rather large canyon the road ran through, with a path leading out of the village and up the cliff to a marvelous view of the scenery and even the ocean a ways away on one side. There was even a ton of greenery around, it really was a picturesque village... Or at least it would've been if not for the massive bank of fog settled on the canyon floor, stretching for at least a mile away from the village on either side.

Neji, Hinata, Yuuko, and Kakashi were all looking at it with their Doujutsu, Hinata being the one to speak up, "The fog is definitely laced with chakra... It's similar to the Kirigakure no Jutsu..."

The other resident Hyuga deactivated his own eyes, "It would seem we'll have to cut off the source to remove the fog."

Kakashi hummed in thought, "So we're definitely dealing with Shinobi... Alright, we'll set up base camp up here, we'll need to split up to search the city. From what the information says, there are three districts to the village, Professional, Residential, and Business. We'll search those districts before meeting at the town square and heading back here."

Guy gave his usual smile, "The professional district is basically the town square, the town hall, bank, hospital, the mayor's mansion and the like, Lee, Yuuko, Hinata, you're with me, and it'll be where we search." He then turned to Kakashi.

"Yasaka, Tenten and I will take the residential district. It's the largest of the three so having someone who can make a lot of clones and a long range specialist will come in handy." Everyone seemed happy with this, until they realized who'd be on the last team.

"Well you two! Looks like you get stuck with little old me, ain't you the lucky ones?" Anko asked as she wrapped an arm around Naruto and Neji, "The business district is filled with narrow paths so a guy who can see through buildings and a guy who's hard as steel won't have to worry about an ambush!" The two Genin did not seem pleased.

Hinata spoke up then, "Um... Maybe I should swap places with Neji..."

"No can do." Kakashi said with finality, "You're our medic, so having you in a central location like the square will be best." With that said, he looked to Naruto and Neji, "Needless to say, you two will behave and work together or there _will_ be trouble, understood?"

Naruto and Neji simply stared for a minute, before Neji extended his hand, "For this mission only."

"Fine, and once we're back in the village we go back to normal." Naruto said as the two shook hands. With that, they all split up to search the village.

* * *

_-Tani Village-_

Yuuko was looking around the village with her Sharingan activated. Once they got into the fog bank it seemed to thin out, allowing them to see a bit more. She was currently moving slowly through the second floor of the mayor's mansion, her hands up and ready to defend herself. The Mayor and his wife were apparently the last people to disappear before the remaining villagers fled. She quickly opened the door to the master bedroom before moving inside, Lee and Hinata moving in behind her. "See anything Hinata-chan?"

Hinata took a second, "No, nothing. We're clear." Due to the fog, her range was limited and she couldn't see tenketsu unless she was right next to them, but she could at least distinguish people in the mist. They looked around the bedroom for a second, "The bed hasn't been made... Also the window has marks on the outside. Looks like someone pried it open, probably with a kunai."

Lee suddenly turned around, carrying a small leather-bound book, "I believe I've found the mayor's journal. Maybe it has a clue as to what happened?" He cracked it open and started looking for entries that mention the kidnappings as Yuuko and Yasaka looked around the room, reading them aloud.

_"Tuesday, July 23rd- _

_I honestly don't know what to think about these disappearances. The only people that seem to go missing are criminals, and while I don't condone killing, I'll admit that when Koga disappeared I just wrote it off. I was even a little relieved, his criminal activity was becoming a problem for everyone, and I thought he just moved on or ran afoul of the wrong people. I became more suspicious when more and more criminals started disappearing off the streets, but I didn't see the harm... That's a terrible thing to think, I know, but I have to think about the village as a whole! I'm have no idea who or what is taking these people, but as long as nobody decent is harmed, then I don't see a reason to worry too much..."_

Lee skimmed through the entries until he found another one that seemed to have something to do with the disappearances.

_"Saturday, July 27th-_

_Suzu the baker was taken from her home last night, I should have sent for Shinobi the second these disappearances became suspicious! I let whoever it is keep taking criminals, not thinking about what they'd do when they ran out of thugs to snatch. The village is in an uproar, Suzu was someone that everyone liked. Nobody had any problems with her, not even Koga and his goons bothered her, hell they were some of her best customers! I have to find the cause of these disappearances, and if it turns out to be too much for me to handle, then I'll send for Shinobi!"_

The rest of the entries were filled with the results of the mayor's investigations, sadly, it looked like he only ran into dead end after dead end. The final entry talked about how he would send for Shinobi the next morning. Obviously, he was too late.

With solemn looks, the three Genin exited the house to see Guy waiting in the square, having finished looking through the town hall. He was staring out into the mist with narrowed eyes, "Did you find anything?" He asked as they approached him.

Yuuko shook her head, "Someone, most likely a Shinobi, pried open the window to get into the mayor's bedroom, but not much else. Lee found the Mayor's journal, but it doesn't tell us much."

Guy looked over the entries, "Hm... So these Shinobi were kidnapping criminals for some reason, then they ran out and started grabbing anyone. If I had to guess, I'd say that these people don't care who they take, they only took criminals first because it's be easier, nobody misses the odd thug or thief... Then once they ran out,they started taking people indiscriminately."

Lee hummed in thought, "Guy-sensei, if we're really dealing with Shinobi, then wouldn't they know better than to let the rest of the villagers escape?"

"I'm not sure, it could be that the villagers simply panicked and ran out of the blue and the kidnappers were unprepared to stop them, or didn't notice they left until it was too late. Perhaps they simply didn't care if the villagers left, it's entirely possible that they finished whatever they were doing and left, leaving this mist behind. But before jumping to conclusions, let's check the bank and hospital, then wait for the others. You three check the hospital, I'll search the bank."

After the gennin entered the hospital, Guy turned and made his way into the rather small bank. Much like the rest of the village, it was completely deserted. His footsteps echoing on the hard marble floor made for an ominous atmosphere. Luckily the bank was essentially one room, with a few desks for bankers and a counter for tellers. Guy started by looking over the Teller's stations and taking a quick look at the cage door to the vault. _'Nothing was taken, no signs of any struggles, and it looks like the cash boxes at the teller stations haven't even been tampered with... It's as if everyone disappeared into thin air all at once...'_

The hospital of Tani village was essentially just a clinic, with a few offices, examining rooms, and a couple surgery rooms. It was a bit small to be called a hospital, but Hinata wasn't one to judge. She moved quickly and efficiently through the exam rooms, taking stock of all the supplies and looking for anything out of the ordinary. As she moved, she became increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress, _'These guys are annoyingly professional, nothing's been taken from anywhere we've checked.'_ Hinata felt a shiver run down her spine, she looked over her shoulder with a small frown, _'This place is giving me the creeps, if there's one thing horror movies and games have taught me, it's that hospitals are never good.' _She slapped her cheeks, "Calm down Hinata, everything's fine..."_  
_

A small gust of air brushed over Hinata's face, as a dark shape glided into her vision. Her eyes widened as she jumped to the side, pressing herself into the wall and bringing her arms up to defend herself, heart pounding in her chest.

"...Something wrong?" Yuuko asked as she raised an amused eyebrow at her teammate, "I guess this place has you a bit on edge, huh?"

Hinata placed a hand on her chest and steadied her breathing, "Yeah, sorry. I think this place is starting to get to me..."

Yuuko nodded, "I get you, the silence is deafening when you're alone. So, found anything interesting?"

"Nothing, it doesn't look like anything's missing, and all the basic supplies are in the room's cupboards... Let's go see if Lee's found anything." After receiving a nod from Yuuko, they started on their way, "I think he went toward the storage areas back this way."

Indeed, after making their way through the hospital back toward the entrance, they came across Lee exiting the doorway to the basement. Yuuko gave him a small smile, "Find anything Lee? ...Lee, are you alright?"

Lee swallowed and let out a shuddering breath, looking up to them and revealing a pale face with shocked eyes, "Y-Yes... I'm alright, but..." He looked back to the basement, shaking a bit.

Hinata took his arm and led him back toward the entrance, "Come on Lee, let's take a minute to rest at the entrance..." She looked back and gave Yuuko a nod.

Yuuko nodded back and made her way to the entrance, taking a deep breath before descending the stairs. Once she reached the bottom, she realized why Lee was so shaken up. Blood and bodies littered the basement of the hospital like some kind of macabre butcher's shop, combined with a painter's studio. There were blood stains on the wall, and tables in the center of the room with bloody tools littering the space around the bodies. Images of cliche mad scientist labs flashed through Yuuko's mind as she took a few steadying breaths. _'What kind of monster...'_ She thought to herself as she moved further into the room.

She took a second to look over the bodies, empty skull cavities, every part of their bodies cut open for some horrible research. Yuuko moved over to a table in the back of the room, seeing the brains floating in jars, suspended in a pale blue liquid. She'd be laughing at the 'brains in jars' thing if it wasn't so creepy. Yuuko looked around and debated taking one to examine it further, but couldn't bring herself to touch any of the brain jars. Suddenly, a scratching sound entered her ears, and she spun around, Sharingan active, Yuuko focused on the corpses, staring at them. She heard something, she knew she did! She swallowed and activated Hi no Karada, preparing to burn the room up, before a small rat ran out from under a counter, looking at her for a second before scampering back into it's hole.

Yuuko dropped her technique and let out a breath, shuffling toward the entrance, before bumping into something. Yuuko spun around with a scream, throwing a punch at whoever was behind her. Once it connected with something, she looked up to see Guy looking at her with concern, his palm stopping her punch, "G-Guy-sensei, I'm sorry, I-"

Guy stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, "It's alright Yuuko, just head back up to the entrance with the others, I'll look around this place." Yuuko nodded and quickly made her way back up the stairs. Guy looked over the basement with a look of anger, '_What kind of person would do this?'_ His first instinct pointed to Orochimaru, but he dismissed it after a bit of thought. The Snake Sannin was undoubtedly one of the most twisted people to ever exist, but he at the very least knew to keep his labs clean and organized, if only to keep projects from getting mixed up. The madman who worked in this lab clearly didn't care about such things, leaving everything strewn about, bloody tools and surgical instruments abandoned... Guy took a few minutes to look over the bodies and jars, before turning and leaving the basement.

Arriving back at the main lobby, Guy got the attention of the gennin, who stood up from their chairs and at attention, "I think that's enough exploration for the day, let's head back into the square and wait for the others." They nodded and filed out, Hinata making sure the others were alright as they left, making small glances back toward the storage area. She looked up at Guy and a simple shake of the head squashed her curiosity.

* * *

"I don't know about you two, but this fog gives me the creeps..." Anko said to her two companions as he stood in the empty road, watching them examine the buildings and streets.

Neji moved his hand over a group of tracks, "I will admit that it's a bit unsettling... The tracks are very old, clearly nobody has walked these streets for at least a week. Then again, if we're dealing with enemy Shinobi, then they wouldn't use the roads." He hopped up onto the nearest rooftop, and using his Byakugan, managed to locate a few small signs of someone roof hopping before returning to the ground, "There are signs of shinobi up on the rooftops here."

Anko nodded, "Alright, we've searched the majority of the district already, so I want you and Naruto to check out the last bit while I see if I can follow the tracks on the rooftops. Hey brat!"

Naruto walked out of the nearby blacksmith's shop, his eyes closed, "I heard... Dammit, It's hard to sense anything in this fog..." He opened his eyes and looked over at Neji, jerking his head toward the last section of the district before moving down the street. After a minute of walking, the two found themselves standing in front of a fenced in building. The fence was wooden, with a gate and path leading up to what was easily the largest building in the district, "I've got a bad feeling about this place..." Naruto said as he pushed open the gate.

Neji followed, "Feelings mean nothing unless there's a reason behind them. You're just letting the atmosphere get the better of you." Using his Byakugan to look around the immediate vicinity, and discovering something, "There's a small tripwire over the bottom of the door."

"Oh. What were you saying about my bad feeling again?" Naruto asked, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Once they got a good look at the building, Naruto groaned, "Tani Orphanage. Of course it's an orphanage... That's one of the worst places to go in a horror movie, second only to hospitals!" It appeared to be a repurposed and renovated mansion similar to what the Hyuga had, but much, much smaller

"Would you like me to find Hinata-sama for you? I'm sure she'd be more than happy to hold your hand while we go into the big, bad building." Neji shook his head in annoyance as he walked up to the door, carefully opening it. He took a look at the wire and, sure enough, it looked like it was hooked up to a kunai throwing trap.

Naruto came up next to him and the two carefully scanned the room for any other traps. Neji activated his Byakugan as Naruto stepped over the threshold, noticing something just after he did, "Wait!"

The second Naruto stepped fully into the room, a click was heard and a brace of shuriken flew from the wall opposite the door toward him. Naruto held his arms up, blocking them and making sure none slipped past him. They bounded off of his arms, protected by the Shikotsumyaku, and clattered to the ground, "How did I not see that?"

Neji turned his attention to the ground, "It was a seal, The wire must've been a decoy. There look to be other seals hidden under the floorboards, we have to be careful."

Naruto groaned a bit and turned to look down the hallway off of the room, "Alright, stay behind me and look out for more traps. I'll be the shield if we need one." So they continued, moving slowly through the hallways and rooms of the orphanage. Along the way, Neji pointed out any traps or seals he noticed and Naruto launched bone spikes to set them off or disarm them. "Anything seem strange about these traps to you? Wire nets, kunai and shuriken launchers, none of them are particularly... robust. I mean, close quarters like this, I'd set up at least a couple explosives."

"Almost like whoever set them up didn't want to heavily damage the building." Neji observed, "I'm impressed, you can think with more than just your fists."

Cue an eyebrow twitch from an annoyed Kaguya, "Neji, I swear to Kami I _will_ give you a pimp style backhand and put you through a wall." Naruto said, giving Neji an unimpressed glare.

Neji answered with a glare of his own, "I'd like to see you- Wait, I see something... A stairway, and it looks to be under a hidden trapdoor. Not something you'd do for a normal basement. Through the door up there, but there's another trap."

Naruto silently nodded, making his way toward the large double doors, "So how do we disarm this one?"

"I don't think it's that simple... I'm no sealing expert, but it looks like a whole array built around this one trap. I'm not sure we can disarm it."

"Well then, let's just spring it." Naruto said as he created a Kage Bunshin, allowing it to walk up to the door while he and Neji retreated back down the hall. They found some cover in a room off to the side, watching as the clone kicked the door open. The clone popped soon after, and upon receiving it's memories, Naruto acted, "GET DOWN!" He yelled and tackled Neji, sending them both down to the ground as a massive explosion tore through the building. Pieces of wood, metal, and other debris flew over their heads as they waited for the explosion to die down. Once it finally did, Naruto sat up, groaning as his ears rang. Neji took a bit longer to recover, what with not having nigh unbreakable bones. Before they could fully recover, Anko appeared, Naruto couldn't quite hear what she said, so he just settled for telling her, "I'm fine, my clone set it off, Neji might need some help."

Anko took a second to make sure he was alright before nodding and moving to Neji, who only sported some bruises. They'd definitely hurt, but it was nothing serious. After the ringing in their ears finally stopped, Anko spoke up, "I was just about to join you two when I heard the explosion. What the hell did you two find in here?"

Neji shook his head and gestured to the center of the explosion, "The entire building is booby trapped, though that's the only explosive we've ran into. I couldn't find a way to disarm it, so one of Kaguya's clones tripped it."

Naruto stood up, taking a second to steady himself, "Speaking of, what do you think they were guarding with a trap like that?" While Anko made sure Neji was alright, Naruto walked over to the door, casting a few glances over the inside of the room. He briefly thought about going inside, but the fact that he was standing in the result of a massive explosion made him think twice, "Hey Neji, there any more traps in here?" He asked as his two companions walked over.

"...No, they were all either destroyed or disarmed in the explosion." Once they all entered the room, which appeared to be the dining hall, they followed Neji to the trapdoor, "The mist is preventing me from seeing all the way down the staircase, but I'd bet that something's hidden down there."

Anko nodded, "Most likely it's our trap loving friends' hideout. Let's head back and meet up with the others, we don't want to head into the hornet's nest with only a third of our group." Upon receiving nods from Naruto and Neji, they quickly headed out the blown out side of the building and headed toward the square.

* * *

Kakashi looked out over what little of the village residential district he could see, Yasaka meditating behind him. Suddenly, she twitched, before going back to her normal state of calm. Tenten watched her with a small look of wonder, "Man, those clones are really useful... I wish I could make as many as she can..."

The one eyed Jonin chuckled, "Yeah, that'd make a lot of missions much easier. Of course it does have it's drawbacks, like needing to meditate so she doesn't get a migraine from all the memory feedback hitting her at once."

Tenten nodded before shivering a bit, then looking out at the fog, there was something about it that made her feel seriously uneasy, "Kakashi-Sensei, be honest with me, what do you think we're dealing with here?"

"It's not monsters if that's what you're thinking. This fog is laced with chakra, our own two resident Hyuga along with Yuuko and myself confirmed it. We're most likely dealing with a group of Shinobi, just like Anko said. So just keep your cool and we'll all be fine."

They were interrupted by their until recently meditating companion, "I wouldn't be too sure. " She shook her head, opening her eyes and blinking a bit, as if to clear her head, "My clones have finished searching the houses, and they only found one thing of any real note. But you're going to wanna to see it." She stood up and collected herself, before leading her two companions toward one of the houses.

When they arrived, Yasaka led them into the living room, where they found, what else? A dead body. Kakashi took a single look before speaking, "It's a Shinobi, no doubt." They really couldn't argue, he was clearly wearing standard fare for a shonobi, a flak vest, a kunai holster and pouch, and a facemask. The only problem was that his Hitai-ate bore no symbol. So either they didn't belong to any village, or whatever village they did belong to knew to keep their identity a secret. "It looks like he's been dead for a few hours... He must have died just before we arrived in the village." There were only a couple more things that stood out to Kakashi, the bloody kunai in his hand, and his one injury, "Is this a bite mark?" Sure enough, there was a bite mark with torn flesh on his neck, clearly what killed him.

Yasaka couldn't help but make a crack, "Maybe we're dealing with zombies? It's perfect zombie weather in the village after all..."

Tenten turned and grabbed her, "Don't even suggest that! I hate zombies, I hate zombie movies, and I hate anything having to do with them, so don't you dare put that thought in my head!" She said, shaking the blonde. Yasaka simply freed herself and they both turned back to Kakashi.

Kakashi shook his head, then turned his attention to the trail of blood leading further into the house. He stood up and followed it, pulling a kunai out and holding it ready, "Alright you two, let's get back to business and see where his killer went." The girls nodded and followed behind Kakashi. They followed the trail out of the house and through the streets of the residential district.

Yasaka raised an eyebrow at the path, "Looks like our killer was stumbling... Maybe he was hurt? This is far too much blood to have come from the other guy's one injury." As they turned a corner, they were met with another body leaned against a building. It was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in a casual green yukata, with a kunai wound in his gut. "Well, I guess that solves this mystery." After approaching him, Yasaka's attention was stolen by something very unusual, "He's covered in a sealing array..." It flowed down the sides of his face, onto his chest and back, and down his arms and legs.

Tenten was about to comment, but whatever she was about to say was halted as Yasaka pushed the body onto the ground and cut off it's clothes to see the whole array, "Gah! Yasaka, what the hell?"

"Oh get over it. I need to see the whole array if I want to find out what it's for, if you're that embarrassed then just think of it as a big anatomically correct puppet." Yasaka said as she rolled out a scroll to copy down the array, a look of curiosity on her face, "I can already tell that this array isn't normal..." She narrowed her eyes at the lines connecting seals, they looked like veins on the surface of the skin, a maze of lines and pathways flowing down the body from the head. There were also clusters of seals placed at key points along the lines, head, chest, back, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, and feet.

As she worked, Tenten turned to Kakashi, "This guy looks like a civilian, how do you think he was able to kill that Shinobi?" There weren't many cases of that happening, for obvious reasons, so naturally she was curious.

Kakashi shrugged and looked around the buildings, "Could have happened a lot of ways. The simplest answer I can think of is that the Shinobi underestimated what desperation does to people, and paid the price for it. I don't know why he didn't just kill the civilian outright, but I think we'll have an idea once Yasaka finishes examining those seals."

Speaking of, Yasaka rolled up the scroll and tapped a finger against her chin, "Interesting... There are receptor seals all over the place, but no source to receive signals from... Plus the flow direction seals are strangely placed, they don't follow the chakra pathways at all..." She muttered to herself, pacing a bit.

Kakashi clapped to catch her attention, "I think that's enough for now. Let's head to the square and meet up with the others."

Tenten nodded eagerly, "Yes please! I'm going to be happy to get out of this creepy fog for a while!"

* * *

_\- Later that night -_

The teams were back at their base camp, sitting around the fire, eating a simple dinner of ham fried rice and talking about what they'd found. After they'd finished eating, except Yuuko, Yasaka kept looking over the seals while the others talked and waited for her to figure something out. Hinata sighed and gave Naruto a deadpan look, "I should've known that explosion was your fault..."

"Hey I think we handled it well, all things considered! Neither of us got hurt too badly and we got through the building to find the trap door, I'll count that a job well done!" Naruto said with a huff, "I think Yuuko and Lee had the most eventful experiences today."

Lee shivered at the thought of the hospital basement, "Just thinking about the things in there makes my skin crawl, it even shook Yuuko-san up."

"I think anyone would be shaken up after going into that mess." Yuuko said as she wolfed down her food.

Tenten grabbed her own arms and groaned, "I didn't even see it and it's nightmare fuel! Those brains in jars, ew..."

Suddenly, after being completely calm throughout dinner, Yasaka threw her hands up, "Fuck this array! It doesn't make sense!" Everyone jumped and turned to the fuming blonde as she ranted, "The seals are perfectly drawn and look like they'd work fine, but the placement and flow is completely nonsensical! These lines connecting seals are clearly for carrying chakra through the body, but they don't line up with the chakra pathways at all, which makes it so much harder for them to work properly! Not only that, but a lot of the lines just stop without even making it to the next cluster!" She growled and bit her thumbnail in anger, "These seal clusters are shit too, there's a seal meant to receive a signal and the other seals interpret it, sending it down the correct pathway. Except they don't, because there's no signal for them to receive! It's so infuriating, I can tell this array was made by a competent Fuinjutsu user, so there must be a purpose, but I just can't figure it out!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Could that not be the whole array? He did seem to escape from his captors after all, maybe they didn't finish the seal before he got away?" Yasaka shook her head in response.

"It's possible, but there's just no more space for another array that size! I suppose you could do it if you were a seal master, but I can't fathom why a master would make something like this!" She crossed her arms in frustration and glared at the paper, seemingly hoping to set it aflame with a mere look.

Naruto sighed and walked over to her, "Just calm down Yasaka, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." He placed his hand on her shoulder, only to jerk it back as she turned and tried to bite him like an enraged Chihuahua, "Gah, jeez!"

Yasaka flew to her feet and grabbed Naruto's collar, pulling him in, "Don't tell me to calm down! I don't wanna calm down, I wanna be angry and punch the guy who made this goddamn seal for making my head hurt!"

"Okay, sorry! Be angry, just be angry at the seal and not me!" Naruto berated himself for making this mistake again. He'd often tried to help Yasaka calm down during their childhood, only to become the new target of her rage. When Yasaka was angry she didn't need someone to help her, she needed someone to do damage control while she flew into a rage. It was cute when they were younger, but now it tended to even make Hiruzen want to be somewhere else. It probably wasn't healthy, but then again, training to be soldiers from the age of six really didn't set them on the path to proper mental health. Finally Yasaka let go and sat back down, crossing her arms and legs. Naruto retreated to his seat and everyone made the wise decision to let Yasaka be angry.

Anko meanwhile, gained a gleam in her eye as she stalked over to Yasaka and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Well, if you don't wanna calm down, then how about we think of a bunch of lovely little things to cause this guy pain?" She asked with a smirk, leaning in toward Yasaka.

Yasaka was surprised for a second, before her face morphed into a predatory, sadistic smirk of her own, "Oh that sounds fun..." The two then started whispering to each other as everyone sweatdropped, choosing not to get involved.

Guy chose that moment to get everyone's attention, "Well, it's been an eventful day, and I think we should all turn in so we can be well rested for going into that trapdoor , are you and Yasaka alright to take the first watch?" A thumbs up from Anko was his only answer, "Well then, I'll take the next watch after, and Kakashi after me, how's that sound?" Nobody had any objections, so they all simply got ready for bed and retired to their tents.

* * *

_\- Under Tani Village_ -

While the members of teams 7 and 9 settled in for the night, the people responsible for all the trouble in Tani village were hard at work preparing for... something. A Shinobi dressed in hospital scrubs looked down at the metal table in front of him. The room he was in was clearly meant for surgery, blank walls, plenty of light, with only one single door leading out to the rest of the underground compound. He swallowed nervously as he looked over the tray of medical tools. When he'd studied medical ninjutsu and how to perform surgery, he never imagined he'd be conducting a procedure like this. This would be his first time performing the procedure by himself. They had been dedicated to perfecting it since they'd arrived in Tani village, and they were finally ready to perform it for real after dozens of experiments. He'd wondered why their leader wasn't doing it himself, he was the genius behind all their work after all...

Suddenly, the door to the operating room opened, their leader and his personal nurse walking into the room, and he snapped to attention, "Sir, everything is ready for the procedure! I'm prepared to begin as soon as the subject arrives!" His leader was a man in his mid forties, pale skin from being in a lab most of his time, with eyes that appeared constantly closed, a bald head and, and wearing a hospital gown... He was also covered in the seals that he'd created in addition to the myriad of stitch tattoos that covered his body, "Sir?"

"Your subject has arrived, you will be performing the surgery on me." He said as he sat down on the operating table.

"What? But sir, this new version hasn't been tested yet! You could die, and then our progress would grind to a halt without you!"

"I'm aware, but we simply don't have the luxury of taking our time anymore. The villagers have finally sent for Shinobi to investigate the village, if this procedure succeeds then victory over them is assured. If it fails then all my work goes down the drain anyway, now begin the surgery! I don't believe I need to tell you what will happen to you should you fail." He said, lying down on the table. He looked over at the nurse, "Hikari, if I don't wake up an hour after the surgery is finished, kill everyone here and save my research."

The now named Hikari bowed, "Of course, sir."

The doctor swallowed once again as he looked over at the nurse, taking her place next to him. She was staring at him with cold, unfeeling, brown eyes, her black hair tucked up inter a surgical cap, "Well doctor, are you prepared to begin?"

He shivered at the empty tone in her voice, how their leader could be near her without getting creeped out he'd never know... But there was no denying her skills as a nurse, and as the strongest fighter they had. He took a deep breath and swallowed his fear, "Gloves."

* * *

Hours later, the doctor set down his tools, staring down at his leader's still body. Now for the moment of truth... This was where it all went wrong every other time anyone had tried the procedure, now all he had to do was pray as he completed it... He reached down to the seal on his leader's head, and toward an opaque, black container on another nearby table. He channeled chakra into them, watching as both the container and the seals on the body lit up with chakra. It traveled down the seals, starting at the head and working it's way down the body. After a few minutes, he stopped, grabbed a stethoscope, and started listening for a heartbeat. He found none.

"Oh no, no, no..." He whispered to himself as he tried once again to get the seals working. He tried activating them again and again, for how long he wasn't sure, each time checking for a heartbeat, a pulse, anything that would indicate life in his leader. Just as be was about to try again, he heard a soft metallic clink entered his ears as he looked over at the nurse. She had picked up a scalpel and started toward him, footsteps as quiet as the grave, "No, please, I can make it work! I just need a bit more time!"

"The head doctor's orders are absolute. I will carry them out to the best of my ability." Before he even had a chance to run or defend himself, she put a hand up in a half ram sign, making a seal on his chest appear. He stared at it in terror for a few seconds, before he simply stopped breathing. She watched as he dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap, and walked carelessly over the growing pool of blood to the body on the table, "I'm sorry, sir... I'll make sure that your work is safe."

She turned and walked toward the door, only to stop when a gasp for breath sounded through the room. She turned and watched as the once corpse on the operating table thrashed around, she ran over and helped him sit up, "You're alive sir."

"I'm... aware..." He said slowly, he took a few minutes to breathe, struggling for a bit before it got easier. He looked down at his body, slowly moving around, as if moving for the first time. He gave a manic grin and pushed Hikari away, then stood up off the table, wobbling for a few minutes before standing straight. He was silent fora few minutes before bursting out in manic laughter, leaving the operating room and heading back to his personal laboratory, Hikari following with the black container. Everyone else in the facility kept to themselves as he ranted to himself, "Impossible, insane, flawed, nobody believed it could work, nobody believed me! Well I've done it, I am immortal! Take that Orochimaru, you second rate failure!" He turned and snapped at one of the guards, who'd been trying to avoid his gaze, "You! The body in operating room one, take it to my lab, then all the bodies in the storage room!" The guard nodded and hurried off.

He chuckled to himself, "Those Shinobi will regret ever meddling in my business... Hm, Mayuri the immortal... I love it!" His insane laugh echoing down the halls as he went.

**Chapter End.**

* * *

Alright! Finally managed to finish this up... So, I hope you guys like it, leave a review if you want and I'll see you in the next chapter! Sorry again for the long wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, here we are with chapter 6! Honestly, I'd hoped that this mission would be a longer one, but as I've said before, I suck at lengthening things. Hopefully it'll be out much quicker though, I had a lot more ideas for what to do with this half of the mission than the first. So I'll try to make the mission as juicy as possible before it ends, then we'll head back to Konoha and the exams! I've been looking forward to writing them, for a reason that I really hope you guys enjoy! I personally think it's gonna be fun!

So, answers to some questions... About the harem, I've been thinking about leaving it like it is, people have suggested girls, and while I wouldn't be opposed to those girls joining the village or showing up more, I might just leave the harem as it is with the four girls. It'll probably be more manageable that way, but I might still add someone, no guarantees though. Someone asked if Kaguya would be redeemed at some point, I'm still thinking about it. It's still a long way off, but I'll ponder it for a while. Another person asked if I was gonna give Yuuko some Street Fighter moves like the Shoryuken and the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku. I could add them in at some point, I wanted Yuuko to have a 'martial artist dragon warrior' vibe and fight like a firebender from Avatar, so they might work out.

Also, not that it was some great mystery after last chapter... someone already figured out how the whole neglected/abandoned element fits in. But I just wanted to reiterate, I'll do my utmost to make it make sense with the story and not be cliche, I swear! I hate the stories where it's done poorly just as much as anyone, so I want to make sure I do it well. If you still don't like it after it's been explained, then fair, I can't change that, just keep an open mind until then, okay?

Lastly there's a lot of fight scenes in this chapter, and I'm sorry if they suck... There's also a hot springs bit in here, and while it wasn't intended to be fanservice, I realized it's almost impossible to write a hot springs scene without it being a little fanservice... So just take it as you will.

Now here we go!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Paging Dr.**** Frankenstein.**

The members of Teams 7 and 9 awoke promptly at the crack of dawn. Upon leaving their tents they found their sensei and Anko talking. Anko turned to them and waved, "Morning brats! Ready to have some fun?"

Tenten groaned, "I don't know if I'd call this fun, but I'm ready to get this creepy mission over with. So what're you guys doing so early in the morning?"

Guy gave them his signature smile, "We've been discussing a possible plan of attack, and we've come up with a fairly good plan, but it could be very dangerous. We feel like it's almost a guarantee that they're waiting for us in that mist, and that we'll be attacked once we head inside the village."

Kakashi nodded, "Yasaka, you'll be in a pretty dangerous position, so if you don't like this plan, then we'll come up with something else." Yasaka nodded confusedly, "We have one extra Genin on Team 7, but they don't know that. So we want you to wait until the fighting starts, then slip past everyone and head into their base to deactivate the mist seal and see what you can find in their base. We won't know what's waiting in there, so we'll understand if you don't want to go inside on your own."

Yasaka shook her head, "I'll be fine. I'll have that seal deactivated in no time flat!" She said with a smirk, "I'll also try to pay a visit to the guy who designed that head-splitting seal!"

Anko gave a grin, "That's my girl! We're also thinking that they'll try and separate is, and with that mist it'll be pretty simple to do it. So if we do end in a situation where we all have to split up, then grab the person next to you and go together. If you find yourselves in trouble then just run and survive until you find another group to link up with. If you manage to take out your enemies then we all meet up in the village square. Lastly, go into it assuming that they have a way of finding us in the mist until you're sure they're as blind as you are, got it?"

Upon receiving nods from everyone, the group, minus Yasaka, turned and made their way into the village. As they made their way toward the orphanage and the trapdoor, they all strained their every sense to try and locate any ambush or attack. They didn't have to wait long as Naruto's ears picked up the almost unnoticeable sound of someone creeping up on him. He spun around and threw a kick at his attacker, "Company's here!" His attacker ended up taking the full force of the attack and flew back into a building. That's when all hell broke loose.

Kunai and shuriken flew out of the mist toward the group, who all quickly either blocked them or dodged. Guy's voice sounded over the group, "Just keep guarding, they'll run out of projectiles eventually, then they'll have to come to us!"

"Gonna be hard to block these!" Someone mocked through the mist as a few kunai struck the ground inside the group. The trademark sizzling of explosive tags entered everyone's ears.

Hinata looked down to them and widened her eyes, before grabbing the arm of the person next to her, Neji, and jumping to the side. The explosive tags went off, forcing everyone to get farther away until the group was completely split up. Hinata and Neji took cover inside a building, "Are you alright?" Hinata asked as the two took a second to catch their breath.

Neji nodded, "I'm Fine."

"Are you sure? There was some shrapnel flying from the explosion, and I pulled on you pretty hard."

"I'm fine, thanks for your concern." Neji said again, a bit of venom working it's way into his tone near the end.

Hinata ignored it and nodded, "Alright. Then we'd best start finding our way back to the others." They both activated their Byakugan, and strangely enough, there was only one person near them... It was a woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in a black formal kimono that fell over her hands and pooled on the ground around her feet, with brown eyes and short shoulder length black hair. She stood in the street, staring at the building they were in, "Um... you see her too, right?"

"I do. She's clearly an enemy, just not a smart one." He said as he walked out of the building.

"Neji-niisan wait!" Sadly, he didn't, and Hinata followed him out onto the street where the woman was waiting for them.

She gave a small bow, "Greetings Konoha shinobi. I am Hikari, and I must say, based on what I know of Konoha's clans, I did not expect a Hyuga to be the medic." She said, looking toward Hinata.

Hinata narrowed her eyes, "How did you know I was the group's medic?"

"You were in the center of the group, there is a small red cross on one of your pouches, and I detect the faintest scent of medicinal herbs coming from said pouch."

"You could smell the herbs in my pouch and see the cross through the mist?"

"My master has enhanced my body beyond that of a normal human." Hikari said simply.

Hinata raised an eyebrow, "Wow, how original..." If Hikari had any reaction to Hinata's jab then she didn't show it.

Neji chose that moment to interrupt, "Can we cease the pointless banter, please? I assume you came after us to get rid of the group's medic?"

She nodded, "Of course. It's basic strategy to eliminate the opponent's healer first." She held up a hand and brandished a handful of senbon, "I will attempt to make it quick."

* * *

Yasaka crept through the business district, sticking to the shadows as she made her way toward the orphanage. She'd heard the explosions from where the rest of the group was and got worried for the others, but she had a job to do, and she just had to have faith that they would be alright. As she approached the orphanage and the sounds of battle started to fade into the distance, she started feeling people entering her sensory range. She'd have to go in quietly... Before going any further, she made a single handsign, "**Meisaigakure no Jutsu.**" She whispered as her body seemed to blend into the mist. She crouched low to the ground and activated a pair of seals on her sandals, making her footsteps impossible to detect. Yasaka finally reached the low wall and gate surrounding the orphanage, and crept near to a pair of shinobi near the gate. Yasaka closed her eyes and listened carefully as they talked.

"You think they'll win?"

"Of course they will, our entire group, minus us and the boss are out there. We have the numbers advantage over them, plus with Hikari-sama out there..."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about her... No way they'll be able to kill her."

"Right, and even if they do, they can't kill the boss."

"...That shit still gives me the creeps..."

Yasaka's brow furrowed as they talked, hopefully the others would be alright, for now she had to work on getting into the base. She slowly moved over the wall and into the orphanage yard, narrowing her eyes at the two shinobi standing standing near the gate. Should she take them out? On one hand, she could easily slip past them and get into the base with relatively no issues, there were only a handful of other shinobi patrolling around and inside the orphanage. On the other hand, if things went south inside the base then she could find herself overwhelmed when these guys stormed in... Taking them out it is.

Yasaka picked up a small rock from the ground and looked around the area before silently drawing Yume and moving toward the building, pressing herself into the wall. She then tapped the stone against the wall before dropping it, making one of the guards turn, "What was that?"

"Oh calm down, this place is old as hell. It was probably just a piece falling off."

"...I'm gonna go check it out just to make sure."

The other guard just scoffed as he moved toward her warily. Say what you want, at least he was doing his job, sadly he wouldn't get any points for it as he finally reached close enough to Yasaka. Like a cobra, she lunged forward, driving Yume through the base of his neck. He struggled for a second before dropping as Yasaka withdrew Yume. After he fell to the ground, Yasaka moved toward his companion, and swiftly stabbed him through the heart. Without wasting any time, she raced toward the next guard, who was just about to round the corner. He didn't even have time to notice the bodies before Yasaka flew past him, slicing his head off with one clean blow. Her next target was down at the other end of the building, facing the side, so she brought her sword up, and drove it into his side, under his arm, stabbing through the lungs and heart. The final guard had been up on the roof, and watched two of his comrades killed before he realized what was happening. He stumbled and watched as this invisible... demon jumped off the ground, and just as he started running, an invisible weight landed on his shoulders. He could only widen his eyes as Yasaka stabbed his shoulder down into his rib cage with Yume.

As he fell, Yasaka jumped back down onto the ground and walked toward the hole in the building, flicking the blood off of Yume as she went. People might not realize it from her bright colored appearance, sword, and love of fighting, but Yasaka was Team 7's stealth expert, as quick as she was efficient. She had no love of killing, which was why she tried to make every blow a quick kill, some small form of mercy from the demon, she supposed. Yasaka made her way into the dining hall to find the trapdoor already opened, and quickly made her way down.

It took a few minutes to reach the bottom of the steps, she looked around, finding herself in pretty much what she expected. A stone hallway with other hallways splitting off at random intervals and a few rooms scattered throughout. It was surprisingly well lit, with speakers, most likely for an intercom system. As she was about to start exploring, a voice sounded over the speaker.

_"Welcome to my humble home, Shinobi-kun! If you'd like to dispel the camouflage technique you may, unlike my associates outside, I can sense you, so it's pretty much useless." _The voice said, Yasaka instantly didn't like him. She frowned in annoyance and deactivated her technique, looking up at one of the cameras, _"Ah, much better! Now then Kunoichi-chan, feel free to explore the facility all you'd like, however you should know that what you're looking for is in my laboratory, everything important in the facility is here."_

"You're being awfully helpful, I think you need someone to teach you how to set a trap." Yasaka said, crossing her arms.

_"Oh it's no trap, I have no need to set a trap, you can't kill me, so please feel free to explore the facility then come to my lab and we can get this little song and dance over with. Just follow that main hallway all the way to the end and you'll arrive at my laboratory. Please don't keep me waiting too long Kunoichi-chan!"_ With that, the intercom shut off.

Yasaka's eye twitched as she started walking down the hallway, creating clones to explore all the other hallways and rooms she came across. Then, she finally arrived at the end, finding herself in front of a large wooden door. She waited for her clones to dispel, receiving nothing interesting, much to her chagrin. Nothing but empty bedrooms, a mess hall, operating rooms, and a few random storage rooms. Deciding to take a page out of Naruto's book, Yasaka created a clone to open the door as she stood back. It became clear that there were no traps as the door easily swung open with nothing happening. The clone dispelled and Yasaka walked in, finding herself in a large open room, with a high ceiling. Lastly, there were tables pushed to the edges of the room, each with a dead body covered in seals on it.

"Welcome Kunoichi-chan! My name is Mayuri, tell me, what do you think of my laboratory?"

Yasaka looked to the other end of the room, watching as a man spread his arms in a grand welcoming gesture. He was wearing beige monk's robes, complete with the prayer beads. He was completely bald, and would've looked like a typical monk, aside from the tattoos made to look like stitches going across his body. They wrapped around points on his body to make it look like they were stitched on, his arms, legs, and even one on his head. Lastly, his eyes were closed, or appeared to be.

Yasaka glared, "I couldn't care less about your lab in all honesty, what I do care about is finding the asshat who designed the seals we found on that poor civilian."

"Oh, would you be referring to these seals?" He asked as he channeled a bit of chakra, making the array on his body become visible.

"Yes, those ones, who made them?"

"Me."

"You?"

"Me."

"...YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" His eyes widened as Yasaka shot at him like a bullet, forcing him to dodge as she slashed at him with Yume, "THAT GODDAMN TRAVESTY OF SEAL WORK GAVE ME A MIGRAINE YOU ASSHOLE, MY UZUMAKI BLOOD BURNS WITH THE DESIRE TO SEE YOU SUFFER!"

"WHOA, CALM DOWN!" He screamed as he kept frantically dodging her attacks.

"NEVER!"

After a few minutes of that, Yasaka finally stopped and leapt back, "Sorry, just had to get that out."

"Oh it's no trouble, I had the same reaction when I was trying to teach the others here how to make the seals. Also I must say, it's a pleasure to know that my array stumped an Uzumaki! Though you didn't have the whole array so it's understandable you wouldn't get it." He said in a surprisingly collected manner.

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Oh, may I see the rest of the array?"

He waggled a finger at her, "Sorry, not that easy."

"I figured." She said as she got into her stance. Mayuri didn't say anything as he settled into his own taijutsu stance. Without any more words, they clashed, Mayuri throwing kicks and punches, while Yasaka slashed with her sword. As they fought, it became apparent to Yasaka that she was the superior fighter. So knowing she had other things to do, Yasaka shot toward him and drove Yume directly into his forehead and out the back of his head, "Well, that was anticlimactic."

"...Don't be so sure, Uzumaki-chan."

Yasaka's eyes widened as she pulled Yume free and jumped back, watching as Mayuri poked at the new hole through his head, "What the fuck!?" She put her hands together in the ram sign, "**Kai!**" then let out a pulse of chakra. Sadly, nothing changed.

Mayuri gave her a knowing smile, "This is no illusion Uzumaki-chan. This is the result of all my work here, immortality!"

"You're lying, nobody is really immortal!"

His smile changed to a dangerous smirk, "Well... You aren't." They then resumed their battle, with Yasaka now on the defensive. Mayuri no longer seemed to care that Yasaka was the stronger one, he was powering through all of her attacks, and nothing seemed to keep him down! Finally, Yasaka had enough.

"Well, the head didn't work, so let's try everything else!" Her chains flew out of her sleeves, catching Mayuri off guard. He struggled against them as Yasaka created a few clones, but before he could try to get away, he was stabbed through the heart, liver, both lungs, and the throat. Sadly, he was still alive with that damnable smirk on his face, he tried to speak, but the wounds to his lungs and throat prevented it, "Oh come on! Fine, how about this?" Yasaka said as she slapped a seal tag on him and kicked him away. Mayuri stared at the tag after he landed, but didn't have time to do anything as Yasaka activated it. The tag activated and his body was engulfed in fire, the flames were so intense that Yasaka had to take cover from the heat, and Mayuri's body was slowly reduced to ash. Even as it was happening, he simply watched his own body burn until he collapsed.

Yasaka got out from behind her cover and walked over to the still burning body, "Looks like you couldn't... take the heat."

"A fantastic one-liner, but we're not done here..."

Yasaka spun toward the new voice, watching as one of the bodies on a table sat up, clothed in an identical outfit to Mayuri, with identical tattoos, the same shaved head, and the same close-eyed expression. Though it was clearly a different person with a different voice, "What in the fucking hell is this!?"

"What can I say, Uzumaki-chan? I'm immortal, just not in the way you were thinking! Now, how about we keep this going?" Mayuri asked with a superior smirk.

Yasaka said nothing, she just grit her teeth and brandished Yume.

* * *

While Yasaka was stuck in some morbid version of groundhog day, Naruto was stuck in a far less creepy situation, just a bit more dangerous. He, Yuuko, and Lee had managed to stick together after they'd been separated, and they were now taking on a group of six enemies in the town square. Naruto had removed his jacket and shirt, sealing them away in a seal on his wrist, and allowed his horns and back spikes to sprout free. He'd also grown some armored plates and claws over his hands and forearms. The three were mostly unharmed, save for a few scratches and bruises on Lee and Yuuko. The three stood back to back and in their respective stances, waiting for their enemies to make the first move.

They didn't have to wait long as their enemies shared a look, before all charging at once. They were on the defensive as they blocked the attacks coming at them, until Yuuko dropped to the ground and started spinning on her shoulders and back with her legs in a split. Naruto and Lee jumped up as fire formed on Yuuko's feet, pushing out and forcing the circle of enemies to widen considerably. Once they were forced back a bit, Naruto rushed forward, grabbing one by the arm and throwing him at another one of their foes, sending the both of them to the ground. While they were struggling, Yuuko pushed herself up into a handstand and dropped forward in an axe kick, sending a wave of flame to engulf them, scorching both them and the ground.

Meanwhile, Lee ran up to the nearest shinobi to him and threw rapid-fire punches into his gut, then an uppercut that launched him a few feet into the air, finished off by a roundhouse kick that sent him flying into a building. Another came running at him, so Lee went down into a crouch and shot a kick upward into his gut. After he brought his foot down, Naruto appeared and punched the baddie in the chest, breaking more than a few ribs and throwing him back. Turning around as another rushed him, Naruto grabbed his punch, gave his opponent one to the face, then backhanded him and tossed him to the side, out cold. The three of them turned to their last opponent, who seemed to be ready to book it. Sadly he didn't get a chance as all three turned to him and gave him a stepping side kick all at once, taking him out of the fight instantly.

After all their attackers were defeated, the three took a minute to breathe, looking around to make sure there were no more nearby. Naruto leaned down and held himself up on his knees, "Is it just me, or do the bad guys underestimate us a lot?"

Yuuko nodded, "They do, though to be fair, we look like normal Genin... Well, most of us." She said, directing the last comment at Naruto's horned and spiked form.

Lee looked over Naruto for a second, "That is a very intimidating form, Naruto-kun... I would like to spar with you when we get back to the village!" He said with his usual exuberance.

"Sure, sounds fun... But for right now, let's just focus on getting this done... I wonder where everyone else is."

As if to answer is question, Guy, Anko, and Kakashi appeared out of the mist next to them, looking more or less alright. Kakashi waved, "Nice work you three, have you run into anyone else?"

Yuuko shook her head, "No, it was just us when we were separated."

Guy put a hand to his chin, "That means that Neji, Hinata, and Tenten are still out there somewhere..."

"Present!" Tenten said as she walked into the group.

Anko raised an eyebrow, "You were alone, and you managed to take them out? Nice work."

Tenten gave an embarrassed smile, "Aw, it was nothing..."

* * *

_"WHY MEEEEEEE!?" Tenten screamed as she ran through the streets of the residential district, jumping out of the way of anything thrown at her. She zigzagged through yards, houses, across or under obstacles, desperately trying to outrun her pursuers. She also countered with her own braces of kunai and shuriken, which her enemies weaved through easily enough, much to her dismay. As she ran, she pulled out a couple kunai and tossed them down, allowing herself a small smirk as she made a half ram sign. _

_One of the Shinobi chasing her noticed the explosive tags attached to the kunai and tried to slow himself, "Oh fuck, fuck, dammit, shi-" The resulting explosion served to disorient them for long enough for Tenten to gain a good amount of distance. She then started backtracking toward the square, through areas she'd already been to try and throw them off. It seemed to be working as she hadn't encountered any resistance, until a bunch of Shinobi dropped down beside her, forcing her against the wall of a building. One particularly annoyed, and burnt Shinobi stepped forward, "Now we've got you..."_

_However, instead of the fear he'd been expecting, Tenten was smirking, "Oh, do you?" She lifted a hand and gripped something invisible in the air. Things immediately went wrong for them as they found themselves bound by almost invisible wire, which was attached to the numerous weapons she'd thrown at them during the chase, "The clever spider spins her web in an unexpected place to catch unaware prey." She pulled out a few kunai and shuriken, "Welcome to my web little flies!"_

* * *

"...I was just lucky I guess." Tenten said with a little smile.

After everyone had taken a minute to breathe and check themselves over, kakashi got everyone's attention, "Alright, now let's search for Neji and Hinata, then meet up with Yasaka." Everyone nodded, but before they could decide where to go, they all heard, and Naruto felt, an explosion of chakra come from the direction of the village's park. Everyone shared a look before racing toward the source.

* * *

"Neji-niisan stop it, this isn't working!" While everyone else was fighting, Hinata and Neji found themselves in a sticky situation.

"We can't just stop fighting, there has to be a trick of some sort to it..." Neji said as he watched Hikari merely shake off yet another Jyuken strike. This battle had been going on for a while, and it became apparent very early on that Hikari was somehow immune to the Jyuken, Neji's strikes did nothing to her!The two Hyuga started moving again as Hikari threw more senbon at them, forcing them apart, after he dodged them all, Neji rushed forward and started up another bout of close combat with Hikari, who dodged or blocked all of his strikes, until Neji shot his hand forward to grab her. He managed to get a fistful of her kimono, but upon pulling back, he realized that... the kimono was in his hand... only the kimono.

Neji gulped as he heard a gasp from Hinata, and braced himself for the coming battle. It would test his self control, his will, and his ability to resist- "Neji she's not naked." What? He looked up, and indeed, she wasn't naked. She was however, wearing a rather unique suit. It was a white onesie and clung to her body, with metal gauntlets and a chest piece with a blue and white yin-yang symbol. There were also black lines running down the length that seemed to glow slightly.

Hinata stared, "What is that, and why do I have a bad feeling?"

Hikari looked down at her suit, then back to her opponents, "This is the reason your Jyuken doesn't affect me. With this armor, no chakra based attacks will ever harm me." There were quite a few people interested in Mayuri's research, one just so happened to be a big fan of Chakra Armor from Yuki no Kuni, who'd been kind enough to gift them a set to help protect Mayuri's research when they'd been there. Hikari shot forward and once again fought with Neji, who continually tried to probe her armor for weaknesses, only to find none. Suddenly, Hikari held her arm in front of Neji,s chest, revealing a senbon launcher, which shot three senbon directly into Neji's chest.

"Niisan!" Hinata screamed as Hikari jabbed another into Neji's neck, making Neji fall to the ground. Hinata grit her teeth and charged at Hikari, who merely waited for her. Just before they clashed, Hinata ducked under Hikari's arm and dropped a smoke bomb. As the smoke made it impossible for Hikari to see, Hinata grabbed Neji and ran, ducking in and out of alleyways. Hikari had incredibly sight and smell, so maybe... Something to the side caught Hinata's eye and she ducked into a perfume shop, the scent of perfume still lingered in the air. Hinata took Neji into the back of the store, set his still form down and immediately ran a diagnostic jutsu, he was just unconscious, so that was good...

_"It's almost like the death like state Haku-chan put Zabuza in, but the senbon is in a different spot... Still, he should come out of it if I remove the needle..."_ She went to remove the needle in his neck, before the sound of something flying through the air made her jump back. Hikari strolled into the back room of the store, but didn't have a chance to say anything as Hinata grabbed Neji and ran out the back door, dropping another smoke bomb. Hikari merely sighed as she followed out the door and took to the rooftops. Hinata kept trying to get away, but Hikari always cut her off, then when they reached a park, Hinata set Neji down and turned around, settling into her Jyuken stance.

"Ready to stop running?" Hikari asked as she dropped down in front of Hinata, "You know, you might actually be able to get away if you left him... Tell you what, how about we make a deal?"

Hinata's eyes narrowed, "What kind of deal?"

"Having a Hyuga would be invaluable to our research, so if you simply let me take him to my master, then I'll let you live and call off the rest of my group." She was lying of course, but Hinata didn't need to know that.

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for that? Even if I was, there's no way I'd let you touch a single hair on any of my family or friend's heads!"

Hikari actually cracked a tiny smile, "You say that as if you have a choice. I actually think I'd rather just kill you both, so let's just get this done." She ran to Hinata and they started their own battle. Hinata was on the defensive for most of the fight, trying to find a way to counteract Hikari's chakra armor. As they fought, Hinata's Jyuken strikes proved just as ineffective as Neji's, but she did notice one thing. As Hikari tried for another strike, Hinata ducked under it and poked Hikari in a few spots on her arm, then smirked as Hikari jumped back, her arm now limp, "What did you do?"

"That armor is a bit thin, isn't it? It's really only cloth, with some seals or something to stop chakra based attacks, of course it had to be thinner than real armor to hide under your kimono. But can it stop someone from say... Hitting your pressure points?" Hinata asked with a smirk.

Hikari'a eye twitched, "I see... I hadn't thought of that." She didn't have much time to say anything else as Hinata kept up the attack. Instead of the Jyuken, she was using good old fashioned punches and kicks, which proved much more effective, especially with the useless arm.

After a few more minutes, it became clear to Hinata that Hikari wasn't even trying anymore, "Given up?"

"No, just thinking...I'd prefer not to use this, but I suppose I don't have a choice." Before Hinata could stop her, Hikari pressed her working hand into the chest piece, which started to glow with chakra. Hinata had no idea what it was doing, but she decided to not stick around to find out. She rushed over to Neji, grabbed him, and ran. Sadly she didn't get far as all the chakra collected in Hikari's armor was expelled. Hinata managed to get herself and Neji away from the worst of the blast, and dove behind a rock to protect them from the shockwave.

Hinata held Neji in close, trying to keep the needles from moving and doing more damage, and she took the full weight of the impact with the ground as they slid for a few feet. She groaned as she set Neji down, looking him over for more injuries. Well, at least it was over...

The sounds of slow footsteps reached her ears, and Hinata cursed, "You've got to be kidding me..." Hinata said to herself as she stood up, watching Hikari limp toward her. She was heavily injured, her armor was torn and battered, and she was clearly on her last legs. Hinata stared for a second, "We don't have to keep going, you can't beat me in that condition."

Hikari looked to Hinata with her cold eyes, "I have to. I cannot allow myself to die until my master achieves his ambitions."

"Why are you so devoted to this guy?" Hinata asked, genuinely curious.

Hikari stood there for a second before answering, "Mayuri-sama was once an amazing doctor. He he saved my life after I contracted a terminal illness. Every other doctor told me that I was living on borrowed time. I was a mercenary, so after he saved, I decided to follow him and be his bodyguard... We helped a great many people... His research into immortality started as a way to help heal people and extend the human lifespan. However, he caught the attention of a man named Orichimaru..." Hinata's eyes widened at the name, "That... bastard manipulated Mayuri-sama, forcing him to conduct horrible research to achieve immortality for years until he finally went insane!" Hikari was finally showing some emotion, anger and sadness, "I stayed hoping I could help him go back to normal but that... That thing down in the lab, it's not Mayuri-sama anymore... I don't know what it is."

Hinata nodded slowly, "I guess I understand a bit... Wanting to help someone in the hope that they'll go back to their old self I mean..." She turned to look at Neji.

Hikari dropped to her knees, and Hinata ran over, "Hold on, you still have some questions to answer!" She placed a hand around Hikari's back and ran a diagnostic jutsu, "Dammit, severe chakra exhaustion..."

The black haired woman fell back into Hinata's arm, her breathing shallow, "I swore I wouldn't die until Mayuri-sama's goals became reality, but I can't do it any longer... I killed my heart long ago to walk down this dark path with him, but my body has finally given up on me... If I'm going to die here, then promise me something, promise me you'll end him." Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, "Promise me you'll put him out of his misery... The Mayuri-sama I knew wouldn't want to exist like that..."

Hinata stared down at her for a minute, before sighing and nodding, "I promise. We'll bring an end to it."

A small smile blossomed on Hikari's face as she closed her eyes and breathed her last.

Hinata lay her down on the ground before making her way to Neji and preparing to remove the needles, "I know you hate me, Niisan, but I won't stop loving you... We're family after all." With that, she set about to finally removing the senbon from his body. A few minutes later, Neji slowly stirred, opening his eyes and looking around. When they finally landed on Hikari, he looked up at Hinata, "What happened?"

"She overloaded that armor of hers and tried to take us out with the explosion. She died of chakra exhaustion, and I also think... she just lost the will to keep going... Speaking of exhaustion, you might have trouble walking for the next few hours, that senbon was pressing on a nerve cluster for a while..." She noticed Neji staring at her, "What?"

"...Nothing, we should regroup with the others."

Kakashi's voice came through the mist, "An excellent idea. You two alright?" He asked as he and the rest of the group came into view, "We heard the explosion and figured this was where you were."

Naruto walked over and leaned down, "You two look like you've had a rough time..."

Hinata nodded, "You have no idea... Someone help me get Neji-nii up so we can meet with Yasaka."

"I'll gladly be of assistance!" Naruto said as he and Hinata slung Neji's arms over their shoulders and lifted him up. As they started walking, Naruto looked over to Neji with a small smirk, "So Neji... How exactly did you wind up needing Hinata-chan to save your ass?"

Kaguya, I swear to Kami..."

* * *

Yasaka huffed as she tossed yet another scroll onto the ever growing pile in the center of the lab. She'd been searching for the complete seal array for a while but just couldn't seem to find it.

"You may as well give up, I didn't record the seal anywhere. It's all in my head!" Then there was that asshole...

Yasaka turned to where Mayuri was bound by a clone with her chains, he was in yet another body... They'd gotten to the fourth when she decided to just bind him and the rest of the bodies with clones while she searched the lab for the rest of the seal. This body, in addition to the closed eyes and tattoos, had tanned skin with a large physique, "Well then I suppose I'll just keep killing you until you run out of bodies."

He shook his head at her, "Wouldn't stop me. I'd still be alive, and with Hikari-chan by my side I'd have a new body in a few days!"

Yasaka growled and grit her teeth, "Fine then! Maybe I'll just load this place up with explosive tags and blow the whole lab to hell!"

"Oh come on now, there's no need to go ballistic on me, Uzumaki-chan."

"So there is something here!" Yasaka said triumphantly as she spun around, "You've been completely uncaring of everything I've done, but when I threaten to destroy your lab, then you start to care..."

To his credit, Mayuri didn't flinch, "I have a lot of work here in this lab, and I'd rather not have to start all over is all. But if you really need to destroy it all to satisfy your curiosity then go ahead."

Yasaka narrowed her eyes, "Alright then..." He raised an eyebrow as she unsealed a scroll from her wrist. She unsealed it's contents, which turned out to be several large metal barrels and a few... gas canisters? "I keep these around just in case something needs set on fucking fire!" She created a few more clones who started pouring the gasoline all over the room. As the scent started filling the air, Yasaka looked over their progress. Then, something small caught her eye, "Wait!" The clones stopped pouring as Yasaka moved toward the center of the room, leaning down toward the ground. A trail of gasoline flowed downhill, until it seemed to disappear once it reached a certain point on the ground...

Yasaka gave a feral smirk as she pulled out a blank sealing tag, then quickly created a Genjutsu dispelling seal. She slapped it onto the ground and made a handsign while channeling chakra into the seal, "**Kai!**" A rush of air flowed from the seal as another trapdoor was revealed, "Clever dick!" Yasaka said as she used some chains to rip the trapdoor out of the ground. Inside was a black container, perfectly square and a foot tall, it was the other items however that caught Yasaka's attention. The first was a large seal taking up a large portion of the floor inside, it was very complicated, but had the Kanji for 'Mist' front and center. The other was a large scroll.

Yasaka drew Yume and sliced the Mist seal in half, nodding to herself in satisfaction before turning her attention to the scroll. She pulled it out and unrolled it, "Ha! Memorized it my ass!" She mocked as she looked over the completed seal. It was largely the same, except for a few seals that went over the eyes...

"Sonar seals, perimeter seals, and sensory seals? Why the hell would you need those, I mean, unless you were blind... That would actually make sense with the closed eyes, actually..." She told Mayuri, who simply stayed silent. She then turned her attention to the container, she picked it up and opened it at the top. Looking in, she was surprised for a second before scoffing, "So who'd you steal this from?" Once again, she received silence. Just as she was about to set the container down, she noticed something. She almost missed it, but she was glad she didn't, the container wasn't actually black. It was very dark grey, and if she looked closely enough, there were more seals drawn onto the sides and lid, "Oh, what do we have here? The other half of the array I wonder?"

Yasaka looked over the seals, but as she did, her smile started to fade. Her eyes widened as she checked and double checked the seals lining the container, "Beautiful, isn't it?" She turned to Mayuri, who's lips were twisted up into an unnerving grin.

Yasaka walked toward him, her breathing quickening, and examined the tattoos on his head. They were covering actual stitches, "Slice his head open!"

A clone looked at her with confusion and a little worry, "Boss, you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, now slice his fucking head open!" One of the clones complied, drawing Yume and cutting along the stitched, making the top of Mayuri's head fall off. Yasaka and her clones stepped back as his empty skull cavity was revealed. Yasaka looked back inside the container, at the human brain suspended in a pale blue liquid beneath a sheet of glass, with seals painted all over it and the walls of the container.

"You insane son of a bitch... It all makes sense. The receptor seals on the body were to receive signals from the brain... Those lines aren't meant to follow the chakra pathways, they're meant to follow the nervous system. The chakra flows down the lines and responds to the signals transmitted from the brain, making the puppet body move. Those seals on the eyes aren't because you're blind, it's because your eyes don't work, isn't it?" Yasaka asked.

All was silent for a bit, before Mayuri started laughing, "Now you finally see the glory of my genius! Of course it isn't perfect, my eyesight went shortly after the operation, hence the additions. There are still some massive kinks to work out, but I've done it! I've found the secret to eternal life, now I just have to perfect it!"

"Eternal? Your brain can't spend eternity like this, it's amazing it's lasted this long!"

"I'm aware of that Uzumaki-chan, which is why I must continue my work! You must also assist me!" He said, desperation in his voice.

Yasaka stepped back a bit, "W-what? Why the hell would I help you!?"

He smiled, "Because you've seen the fruits of my labor, you can't tell me it doesn't appeal to you, eternal life, an undying form! As a fellow Fuinjutsu user, you must understand the gravity of what my seals have achieved! The two of us together could perfect this process!"

"Why!? Why the hell do you even want to be immortal anyway?"

"To make him leave me be!" Mayuri's grin widened as he started to become hysterical, "All I can remember is the hunt for immortality. All I can remember is that infernal Sannin's voice telling me over and over again, 'It's just like dissecting a frog, just larger, he was a criminal anyway, what's the harm?' 'Come now Mayuri, you're in too far to stop now.' 'Help me achieve immortality and I'll make the pain end.' More and more bodies to experiment on, more and more experiments! I left with Hikari and some others, but his voice won't go away! It's torturing me, clawing into my brain, I have to find the secret to immortality to finally make the voice stop and leave me be!" He turned to Yasaka, pleading, "Please help me, it has to stop!"

Yasaka stared at him, now with nothing but pity. She slowly reached to flick Yume out of it's sheath, "Alright... I'll help you."

Mayuri's smile lost it's psychotic edge and he took a deep breath, "Excellent! Now the first thing we need to do is-" Mayuri's head slumped, and Yasaka's clones let the bodies go. One cut was all it took. One simple swing of her sword and the container was sliced in half, the brain along with it. She turned to her clones and nodded, heading out of the lab and toward the exit back up to the surface, her clones continuing to spread the gasoline. She also had a few of them place explosive tags on the walls of the lab and hallways. Yasaka stared at the scroll in her hand as she walked up the steps, "I expected to feel satisfied after finally ending this, but I just feel really bad for the guy..."

Yasaka arrived at the surface to find the sun shining down on her. She sighed to herself as she closed her eyes and soaked up the sunshine, "Oh sun, I've missed you old friend..." She stood there for a few minutes before the sounds of footsteps reached her ears. She gave everyone a smile as they walked over, with Neji now walking on his own, "Hey guys."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired, I'll tell you about it later. I just want to get this mission over with and go home." Nobody had any complaints, but before they could make it too far, Yasaka stopped, "Oh, I almost forgot." She dispelled her clones and held up the scroll, "Hey Yuuko, light this on fire for me, would you?"

"Okay." Yuuko walked over and snapped her fingers, making a small flame appear in her hand.

Yasaka unrolled a bit of the scroll and allowed Yuuko to get it burning. Then, once it was burning, Yasaka turned and tossed it into the trapdoor. She then held up a half-ram sign, "**Katsu!**" The ground rumbled and a massive gout of flame shot from the trapdoor, setting the orphanage on fire. Everyone but Yasaka jumped back as the building went up. Yasaka gained a satisfied smile and turned to walk toward the village entrance, "Okay, now we can go home."

Anko walked over and stopped her with a hand on her head, "Hate to break it to you blondie, but we can't leave just yet... We gotta take care of the bodies, send word the the villagers in Degarashi port, and make sure this fire doesn't spread and burn down the whole village."

"Aw..."

* * *

_\- A few days later, border of Tea country -_

The group had been on the road back to Konoha for a few days and decided to take a well earned break at a small village they'd passed through on the way. It was well known to the locals for it's amazing hot springs, which naturally caught everyone's attention. It'd been a pretty depressing day after they'd finished in Tani Village, cleaning up the bodies proved easier than they'd thought, what with Yasaka unintentionally making a rather nice funeral pyre out of the orphanage. Hinata had said a small prayer over the flames, none of them were very religious, but they felt it would give Hikari and Mayuri some sense of peace in the next world.

Anko stretched her arms above her head as they all walked toward the hot springs inn, the sun starting to set against the horizon, "Ah, nothing better than relaxing in some hot springs after a difficult mission!"

Yuuko nodded, "Definitely, and the steam does wonderful things for my skin."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Well, I don't know about my skin, but there's nothing better for my training aches than the nice, hot water."

Kakashi chuckled, "Well, you two can top dreaming, because we're here. Just remember to make the most of it, we need to get back to the village, so we can only stay one night here."

The inn residing in the center of town was one of the largest buildings in the whole village, understandable considering it was the main attraction. They headed inside and greeted the receptionist, who looked surprised to see so many Shinobi wander inside. Kakashi gave her his signature eye-smile, "Hello, we'd like two five-person rooms for the night, please."

"Of course sir! Would you also like to include a pass to the hot springs, or just the rooms?"

"We'll take the passes as well."

She nodded, "Very well, the total for your stay will be 3,000 Ryo for just the night." Everyone brought out their shares and handed them over to the receptionist, who then reached behind her desk, taking out a pair of keys for their rooms and counting out ten spring passes, "There you are, your rooms are 16 and 17, just up the stairs and down the hall to the right. These are your passes, you'll need to have them with you when you head to the springs, which are just through those doors." She said, indicating the doorway to her left.

They all thanked her and headed up the stairs and found their rooms. As it turned out, the whole place was very traditional, which they should have expected from a hot springs inn. Sliding doors, tatami flooring, futons, though the doors did have electronic keycard locks and were soundproof, which was a nice addition. The men had one room while the women had another, and they all set about to getting their things set down and organized. By the time they finished and headed down to the springs, it was fairly late, so they had it all to themselves.

Yasaka headed down first, wearing a simple yukata so she wouldn't have to deal with all her Shinobi wear when changing. As she headed down, she passed another couple and what looked like their son wearing yukata like her. They shared a nod as they passed, but it seemed like they were too absorbed in their conversation that they didn't pay too much attention to her. After they'd passed her and went up the stairs, Yasaka looked back at them, the strangest feeling coming over her. She felt like she should know them, but... She entered the reception for the hot springs still looking behind her, and accidentally bumped into another girl in a yukata. She had red hair in a high ponytail that reached her shoulders, with her bangs hanging over her forehead and on either side of her face, framing it. She also had some pretty blue eyes.

Yasaka blinked a bit, "Oh, sorry about that, are you alright?"

The girl smiled and waved it off, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you, are you heading to the springs?"

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to them since I got here."

"Well I think you'll like them, they're amazing! So, are you here by yourself?" She asked, looking around for anyone else.

"No, I was just the first one down, you?"

"I'm here with my parents and brother, they went back to our room just before me." The two simply stood there for a while, staring at eachother.

Yasaka tilted her head, "This may seem strange, but have we met somewhere?"

"I was actually about to ask you the same thing." She said with confusion.

Suddenly, another woman's voice came from the direction of the hotel, "Nozomi-chan, are you coming? Your father and I need to talk to you and your brother!"

The girl, who Yasaka guessed was named Nozomi, jumped, "Oh, sorry! I need to go, it was nice to meet you, hope you enjoy the springs!" She said as she hurried off.

"See you." Yasaka said after her. She then turned and talked to the receptionist before heading into the women's springs. She headed inside after changing into a towel, then settled into the water before removing it.

After relaxing for a minute, the rest of the girls came in and settled in with her. They all relaxed for a bit, enjoying the silence before Anko spoke up, "So... Who wants some Sake?" She asked, bringing up a jug of Sake and some saucers.

Hinata bristled, "Absolutely not! Not again!" Her eye twitched violently as Yasaka swam over, "Yasaka-chan..."

Yasaka rolled her eyes, "Oh calm down, I'm only gonna have one this time, I promise." She got a saucer from Anko and took a sip, sighing in contentment.

Anko grinned at her as she downed her own drink, "That's my girl, learn to live a little, Hinata!" She turned to Tenten and Yuuko, "Want some Panda girl? How about you Chili-pepper?"

Tenten nervously shook her head, "No thanks, drinking isn't my thing..."

Yuuko slid lower into the water, "No thank you, I just want to soak..." She closed her eyes in contentment and sunk until just her nose and higher were above the water.

Anko pouted for a minute, "You guys are no fun. Here I wanted to see you all get into some drunken shenanigans, guess I'll have to wait until another time..." She gained a sly grin and turned back to Hinata, "So Hinata, your boobs are looking fantastic, what's your secret?"

* * *

While Hinata was on the receiving end of Anko's teasing, Naruto and the other guys were having their own relaxation time in the Men's hot spring, "Ah yeah, that hits the spot..."

Guy nodded, "Indeed, these springs are perfect, they make all the aches and pains just melt away."

Lee pounded his fist into his hand, "I have an idea! Perhaps while we relax we could engage in a game!"

Everyone raised an eyebrow as Neji shook his head, "I'd rather just relax if you don't mind. The hot springs aren't exactly where I'd like to play games."

This did little to deter Lee, "Come on, Neji! It'll be fun, and I have an idea for the perfect game!" He pointed at the tall wooden wall behind him, "We shall race to the top of this wall!" Before even waiting for someone to agree with him, Lee was already about to start running.

Kakashi, still wearing his mask, scoffed, "That's the dividing wall between this side and the women's side. If you wanna climb it then be my guest, just don't expect us to come to your rescue."

That caused Lee's eyes ti widen, and he crashed into the wall before settling back into the water, "Perhaps a game isn't the best idea..."

Naruto chuckled to himself, before a small part of the wall next to him fell off, it looked like a wooden disk... He picked it up as everyone looked over, "'Replace after you're done', What the hell is this?" He asked as he read the words written on the rim. He turned to put it back, and promptly realized what it was for. He had a clear view into the women's side of the spring, and the view was good. He blinked as he realized Yuuko was staring directly at him. She seemed to be the only one to notice however as she reached a hand out of the water and waved at him. Naruto waved back in a daze before replacing the disk.

Lee swam over to him, "What was that, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's head snapped toward him, "It wasn't anything, don't worry about it!" Everyone gave him suspicious looks, but he kept his silence.

A while later, Kakashi decided to head back to the room and get some sleep. He headed into the room, unknowingly dropping his keycard just outside the door. Just as he closed it, two people walked through the hall, a man and a boy about Yasaka's age, "How much longer are we gonna be here, Tou-san?"

"Calm down Menma-kun, we're going to be here for a few more days so I can get everything ironed out before we head to Konoha. Now, I'm gonna head down to the vending machine, you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine..." He watched his father head downstairs before Kakashi's keycard caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up before knocking on his door. Once Kakashi opened it, he held up the key, "Sorry to bother you, but is this yours? It was on the floor here."

Kakashi nodded, "I was just looking for that, thanks." He took the card and shut the door just as the other man came back up the stairs. As Kakashi got started on rolling out his futon, he thought to himself, "Nice kid, looked kinda familiar though..." The red, spiky hair and blue eyes reminded him of someone... Ah well, probably nothing.

Unknown to him, the kid was thinking the same, "I have the weirdest feeling I should've known that guy..."

"Something wrong, Menma-kun?"

"...Nah, just thinking." They returned to their room and settled in for the night, the rest oft he shinobi group following soon after.

The next morning, the members of Teams 7 and 9 plus Anko set off bright and early toward Konoha. They left before any of the other guests were even close to waking up, and it was a very awkward time for Naruto. He'd spent the night dreading Yuuko, and the other girls, so when Yuuko walked up to him and pulled him away from everyone else, he was prepared for the worst. Yuuko simply stared for a second, "Don't worry, I know you didn't do it on purpose."

Naruto breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Oh thank god... I actually expected you to be at least a little mad, even if you believed me about it being an accident."

"Why would I be mad? As a matter of fact, that incident aligns quite well with one of my life goals."

"...Me accidentally peeping on you and the other girls aligns with one of your goals? What the hell kinda goals do you have?"

Yuuko gave a small smile and tapped Naruto's chest with her hand, "Ones that I'm sure you'll enjoy helping me reach." She then walked back to the rest of the group, leaving a confused Naruto.

* * *

_\- Konoha, Main road to the Hokage tower, a few days later - _

Tenten looked around the village in appreciation, "Man, it's so good to be back in a village that's not devoid of life and covered in a creepy mist..."

Lee nodded, with a glint in his eye, "Indeed it is, and now that we are back home... Naruto-san! I challenge you to a match, witnessing your Kekkei Genkai first hand has only made my flames of youth burn brighter!" He said, pointing dramatically at Naruto.

"Come on Lee, can't we just put it off for a while? We just got back... But if it means that much to you, then we can spar tomorrow if you want." Despite his complaints, Naruto always enjoyed sparing with Lee. He just wished that the bowl-cut sporting gennin knew the meaning of restraint...

While the two were talking, Hinata turned toward her cousin to once again, find him staring at her... She didn't know what it was, but he'd been doing that off and on since she woke him up from that coma. He'd also been less antagonistic to her whole team, unless Naruto started it. She honestly had no idea what was going through his head, but hopefully it was something good Maybe she should invite him to get ice cream with her and Hanabi?

As the group arrived at the Hokage tower, the receptionist did a double take at seeing them, before calling on the intercom, "Hokage-sama, Teams 7, 9, and Mitarashi-san are back." She turned back to them, "I'd head up there now if I were you, he's been waiting for you, and he and Jiraiya-sama have been pissed about something since you left!"

The gennin gained nervous expressions as they climbed the stairs to the Hokage's office. Hinata leaned over to Naruto, "Did you prank anyone important before we left?"

"No! I didn't even pull any, I was too busy training!"

They slowly entered the office to find Hiruzen and Jiraiya waiting for them. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow as he saw their anxious faces, "Is something wrong?"

Yuuko stepped forward, "We heard from the secretary that you two were mad at us..."

Yasaka laughed nervously, "Is it because I burnt down the orphanage? Because I had a good reason!"

Both Hiruzen and Jiraiya stared at her for a second, with the Sannin breaking the silence first, "What? You burnt down an- You know what, it's not important... We aren't mad at any of you, we're just angry at something else. Before we get to that though, it might be better to hear your mission summary first."

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, let's get that out of the way, then we'll talk." With not much else to do, the group began recounting their adventure in Tani Village. Neither Hiruzen nor Jiraiya showed much reaction, only the barest twitch of Hiruzen's hand when Orochimaru was mentioned. Jiraiya seemed interested in Mayuri's seal for a second, before that interest immediately left after he found out how it worked. Once they were done, Hiruzen sighed, "Well it looks like you all handled this mission very well despite the danger, I'm proud of all of you! I'm going to be giving you all some time off, and A-Rank pay for your work."

Everyone shared a moment of happiness at that before Jiraiya spoke up, "Now to the not so fun part... Yasaka, this is about a big change happening in your life, so if you don't want anyone else to hear it, then just say the word."

Yasaka was now even more confused, "Is it about my special chakra?" She asked, referring to Kyuubi, her question was met with confusion from Team 9, minus Guy, and head shakes from Hiruzen and Jiraiya, "Then I have no other secrets, everyone here can listen if they want."

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright, that's probably for the best, seeing as it's gonna be public knowledge soon enough."

"What? Why would my private life be public knowledge!?" Now Yasaka was worried.

Hiruzen let out a tired sigh, reaching into one of his desk drawers to bring out a letter. He held it out to her with an unreadable expression on his face. Yasaka hesitated in taking it, "I almost don't want to know what it is..."

Naruto walked over and put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a side hug, "Don't worry about it Yasaka-chan, we'll be here for you no matter what!" Yasaka smiled in relief as Yuuko, Hinata, and Kakashi gave her reassuring nods.

Guy gave her a thumbs up, "We may not be on your team Yasaka, but you can count on us as well!" The gennin of Team 9 nodded, with Neji being forced to by Tenten.

Yasaka took a deep breath before taking the letter and reading it.

* * *

_\- One hour later - _

Training ground 13 was a very nice place. A large open field, some trees scattered around, and a bubbling stream ran through it, providing nice, clean water for any shinobi training there. Sadly, training ground 13 rarely ever saw visitors. Shinobi tended to be a very superstitious bunch, and number 13 was unlucky, therefor training ground 13 was a very unlucky place. Of course, most of the supposed cases of training gone wrong never actually happened, and the ones that did were no more serious than the ones that happened at any other training ground. On this particular day however, It's lack of people turned out to be a blessing.

**"RAAAAAAAAA!"** Yasaka yelled in rage as the Kyuubi's chakra boiled on the surface of her skin, three large tails flowing dangerously behind her. The blonde's eyes glowed red, her pupils becoming enraged vulpine slits as her lips peeled back in a snarl, her teeth dangerously sharp. She dropped onto all fours, growling as she glared at her opponents.

Jiraiya cursed, this was not how he hoped his day would go... He knew that Yasaka would be angry, but he'd hoped it wouldn't be this angry, "Dammit, where's Yamato!?" He asked one of the ANBU operatives with him.

"We sent Neko to find him, they should be here soon."

"Alright then, we just have to keep her contained in this training ground until Yamato gets here. Don't hurt her, just keep her here!" Jiraiya had made some seals for this exact situation, but having Yamato here to bind her would make applying the tags much easier.

Kakashi landed next to him, Guy and Anko following shortly after, "With all due respect Jiraiya-sama, we should be more worried about what she could do to us." Kakashi said, watching Yasaka with his Sharingan, "She should be able to handle three tails, but her emotions are so high strung that she can't control herself, she'll kill us if we aren't careful."

Guy settled back into his Goken stance, "Don't worry Kakashi, we all know the risks." His eyes widened as everyone scattered. An uprooted tree crashed into where they were all standing. Yasaka had sprouted several chakra arms and was using them to throw anything she could reach at them.

"Dammit blondie, calm down!" Anko's heart ached as she watched Yasaka's rampage. Even from long range, she could see the tears streaming down her face, and the immense pain behind the anger. She grit her teeth as Yasaka prepared for another attack, this was gonna be a fun day...

* * *

**Chapter End!**

Alrighty, there we go. My first original mission is done, and I hope it turned out alright... So, don't expect the other chapters to be out this quick, I just knew what I wanted to do for this one. For those of you curious about what exactly the letter said, it'll be revealed next chapter. So without further rambling, tell me what you guys think and I'll see you next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello there, so someone said this chapter was lacking in emotion, and yeah, I can see that. So depending on what people think I'll go through and redo the more emotional bits.

Here we are with Chapter 7, not gonna lie, I have been _dreading_ writing this chapter. So, as you may have guessed, Minato and Kushina are alive, and as I've said before, I want to make it make sense and not be cliche. Turns out it's easier said than done, so many little details needed to explain exactly why everything that happened, happened the way it did... ugh... I've tried my best to make it work, but I'm still terrified. Anyway, hopefully it'll work out. :D

Also realized I never gave Yasaka's birth defect a name... Ah well, too late now, and it won't be mentioned much if ever after this all wraps up anyway.

So, questions... I'm not planning on killing Minato and Kushina if anyone is wondering, as for Yasaka forgiving them... Right now, I'm not planning on it, but it's still a very minute possibility. Rest assured though, even if she does, it **will not** be easily. Speaking of them, they won't be bashed. Despite putting them in this situation, I really love Minato and Kushina, so I'm also going to give them their moments as well. As a matter of fact, these next couple chapters before the exams are going to focus on some Yasaka development, and a bit of conflict between Yasaka and Kushina specifically. Once again though, Yasaka won't forgive them anytime soon, if ever.

Someone also said I made Mayuri give up and change his mind too easily last chapter, in all honestly I didn't mean for him to just change his mind, so I'm gonna go back and change it to be closer to what I meant to happen. Oh, someone also wondered if Naruto's Byakugan was normal since I said it was tinted blue. It is normal, not Tenseigan or anything, just tinted blue like Hinata's is lavender. Also it's still sealed.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or media that may appear in this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Hell hath no fury...**

An inhuman growl sounded from Yasaka's throat as she crouched on the ground, two large arms of angry red chakra forming from her shoulders as her three tails waved lazily behind her. She watched as Jiraiya slowly circled around her, _"That's it, just stay right there... We don't attack you, you don't- Fuck!"_ The Sannin ducked as his enraged student flew over his head, Bijuu chakra covered hands threatening to tear his head off.

Yasaka was running out of the training ground, trying to get into the village. Thankfully she didn't get far as Kakashi landed in front of her, "**Doton: Doryuheki!**" An enormous wall of stone rose out of the ground in front of her and she skidded to a stop. Her eyes darted around before she made a break for the left.

Once again, her progress was blocked, this time by Anko, "**Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!"** Anko blew the fire on the ground, making another obstacle for Yasaka, who tried running another direction, only to be met with Guy and a few ANBU. She tensed her muscles to prepare an attack, but wasn't able to do anything as Guy appeared before her faster than she could see. He stomped the ground and threw a punch toward her, but stopped before it made contact. A shockwave erupt from his fist, blowing Yasaka back toward the center of the training ground.

Yasaka let out a roar as everyone surrounded her. She sat back in a crouch, confusing everyone as small balls of red chakra popped off of her cloak, floating in the air around her. She opened her mouth and made her tails point toward the area in front of it. As the bubbles started gathering in that single point, Jiraiya realized what she was doing, "Stop her now! She's preparing a Bijuudama!" Even if she was only at three tails, it could cause massive damage if she was allowed to fire it.

Before anyone could do anything, Naruto rushed through them and toward Yasaka. He grew bone armored plates over his arms and grabbed Yasaka's arms through the cloak, flinching as the chakra burned him. Yasaka let the Bijuudama dissapate as they fought. The two struggled as Naruto tried to keep her from moving, "Yasaka, it's me! You need to calm down before you hurt someone!" Yasaka growled and pushed against Naruto, slowly pushing him down to the ground. Yuuko suddenly appeared and kicked the back of Yasaka's knees, making her stumble, then pushed her back against Naruto's to help him. It was at this point that Yasaka's chakra arms acted, moving down to try and crush the two.

Jiraiya cursed once more, he'd ordered them to head home, but he should've known they wouldn't, "Stop those arms!" He ordered as he moved forward.

"On it!" A new voice said, "**Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!**" Yamato rushed into the training ground and threw his arm forward, turning it into tree branches that quickly wrapped around Yasaka's chakra arms before working their way down to restrain her. He grit his teeth as she struggled against her binds, "Jiraiya-sama, now! I can't hold her for long!"

Jiraiya wasted no time in rushing forward and pulling out a sealing tag. Yasaka let out another roar, trying to get away, but Naruto held firm, "Yasaka, I know you're hurt and angry, but you need to be calm right now." His words seemed to have an effect as her struggling weakened, and the rage in her eyes diminished. Jiraiya reached them and place the sealing tag on Yasaka's stomach. Everyone watched with baited breath as she slowly settled down, the red chakra disappearing as Yamato and Naruto released her. After a few minutes the tag fell off, it's work done. Yasaka was on her knees, her head down with tears dripping off her face, choked sobs reaching Naruto's ears, "Yasaka-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Yasaka dove forward, grabbing onto his jacket and pressing her face into his chest. Jiraiya turned and gave a signal to everyone, making the ANBU disperse, Guy gave a nod to Kakashi before leaving himself. Anko walked over and knelt down, putting an arm around Yasaka.

Hinata rushed through the group and looked everyone over, "Yasaka-chan, are you alright!? Naruto-kun, your hands! Yuuko-chan, your foot! You two should've known better than to just touch Bijuu chakra!" She scolded through the concern. Though the matter was quickly dropped as she returned to doting over Yasaka.

Kakashi joined them, "You gave us quite a scare there, Yasaka. Are you alright?"

Yasaka let go of Naruto and looked up at Kakashi, some tears still present, "More or less..." It was the first time Kakashi had seen her vulnerable in a long time, "I just wanna go home."

Jiraiya nodded, "You got it, kid. You all take her home, I'm gonna go talk with Sensei." He thought for a second, "I don't even have the will to scold you three for coming here, I would've done the same thing... Just don't make a habit of going against orders, alright?" The members of team 7 nodded.

Anko patted Yasaka's shoulder, "Come on blondie, let's get you home. You've had one hell of a day..." Naruto picked Yasaka up, bridal style, much to her embarrassment, and they made their way to Team 7's apartment, leaving Jiraiya alone in the training ground before he left back to the Hokage tower.

When he arrived, the sun was setting, casting a beautiful orange glow over the village. If only he could enjoy it. He hopped in the window to fond Hiruzen drinking some sake, Jiraiya swiped the bottle before taking a large drink for himself and setting it on the desk, "We got her calmed down, and she isn't hurt... well, physically at least. Her teammates showed up and helped us restrain her, they're taking her home now."

Hiruzen nodded before sighing, "What a day..." From the second Yasaka had finished reading that letter, he'd known something was wrong...

* * *

_\- Flashback -_

_Yasaka stared down at the letter, then started to read aloud. __"Hokage-sama... This may seem like a joke, but I assure you, it's completely true, and to prove it... The fire provides light for the tree to grow, and shadows for it's protectors to thrive." __Yasaka raised an eyebrow before looking at Hiruzen, "___What does that mean?"__

_"It's an old proverb. It was said by the Shodaime, and it's been a tradition for the Hokage to tell it to their successors, and only them. So I'll need to ask you all to never repeat it. Ever, to anyone." Everyone nodded as Yasaka continued reading._

_"Yes, it's me Minato, and I'm alive. I know you're probably angry, and wondering where I've been. I have a lot to say, so I suppose I should get right down to my explanation. The reason the Kyuubi was released that night is because a masked man attacked the location where Kushina was giving birth. He called himself Madara Uchiha and had a Sharingan, but if that's who he actually is, I don't know. He was the one who killed the people assisting in Kishina's delivery, and once Kushina alerted me with a seal, I arrived to find he'd taken the children hostage. Oh, right... I suppose you wouldn't know that Kushina gave birth to triplets, another girl and a boy we named Nozomi and Menma, but I'm getting off topic..._

_He'd attached a paper bomb to the crib and threatened to detonate it if I interfered. He then took both Kushina and Yasaka, the latter as further insurance that I wouldn't stop him. I managed to disarm the paper bomb, but by then he'd already released the Kyuubi and used his Sharingan to control it. I found him and managed to get Yasaka away, leaving her with Kushina while 'Madara' and I fought. I managed to injure him and release the Kyuubi from his control, so he retreated. Everything else that happened, I'm pretty sure you know. I summoned Gamabunta and fought Kyuubi while Kushina prepared Yasaka for the sealing, her own seal was destroyed, and she was too weak to survive another sealing done on her anyway, so we had to use Yasaka. It broke my heart to do it, especially once we realized how frail she was... but we had no choice. It was a bit touch and go after the Kyuubi tried to run us through with his claw, but Kushina was able to summon her chains and stop it. After the sealing, once we heard people coming, we knew Yasaka would be alright, so I took us back to the delivery room and we made sure Nozomi and Menma were safe._

_From there, I teleported us to one of Jiraiya-sensei's safe-houses to recuperate. We thought about going back to the village, but didn't want to risk it. Madara had managed to sneak into a heavily secured area and attack Kushina, we couldn't risk it happening again with Yasaka, and w___e knew that if we were gone, you'd keep Yasaka under the highest possible security. Plus, there would be far too many people eager to kill us and try to take the kids while we recovered, It was better to just play dead for a while. During that time, I kept thinking about Madara, during out fight, he kept hinting that he had other plans for the Kyuubi, and this was only step one of some larger plan. I had to find out what he meant, my gut was telling me that he wasn't just a threat to Konoha, but the whole world. I decided to continue playing dead and go after him, and Kushina wanted to go with me. Of course, I wanted her to go back to the village with the kids and be with Yasaka, but she insisted that if she went back alone with Nozomi and Menma, it would've given people reason to believe that I was still alive as well and my spying would be ruined before it could begin. So, we decided to leave Yasaka in the village with you, it was the safest place for her now that she was a Jinchuuriki. Not only that, but with her condition she wouldn't have survived a week on the road. It nearly broke us to leave her, but we thought that it was for the best.  
__

__I know that it wasn't the best choice, but it was the one we made. For the last 16 years we've been investigating him and any other threats to the village, Orochimaru included. Nozomi and Menma are also with us, safe and sound, and we've decided to finally come back to the village. Kushina and I are willing to accept the consequences of our actions, and we'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit. We should be there in a week or two.__

__Minato."__

__Everyone was stunned into silence, Tenten was the first to break the silence, "The Yondaime is alive?" A shiver ran up her spine as she detected barely suppressed KI from Team 7, Kakashi, guy, and Anko. They all managed to reign it in after a few minutes of silence.__

__Kakashi walked over to the wall, stared fro a second, then punched a hole through it, his whole body shaking with anger. He wasn't angry at them for staying away from the village, oh no. Like his Gennin, he was angry because of what Yasaka was put through because of their absence. Speaking of, everyone turned to Yasaka to see... something strange.__

__She was calm. Completely collected, with her face showing no traces of any emotion. She looked to Hiruzen, "Jiji, I have questions." Hiruzen gestured for her to ask, even as a bad feeling came over him, "Why did my mother have a seal to alert the Yondaime while she was giving birth?" He and Jiraiya flinched, "Furthermore, why did it 'break his heart' to seal the Kyuubi inside me? My last question should be the most simple to answer... where was my Tou-san during all this?" She watched Hiruzen and Jiraiya as they struggled to answer her questions.__

__Hiruzen sighed and looked her in the eye, "I think you already know the answers to all those questions, Yasaka-chan."__

__Yasaka stared for a minute, before looking over at the picture of the Yondaime. She'd never examined it in detail, since looking at it always made her angry, but she traced the face with her eyes, and looked at the hair... She took a bit of her own striking blonde hair in her hand and twirled it around. She stopped, then let it go as her head snapped to Hiruzen, "No."__

__Jiraiya stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "It's true Yasaka. Minato____ is your-"__

__"No! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" She snarled, glaring at Jiraiya. It was at this point where everyone else, minus Kakashi, realized what she was so upset about. Tenten covered her mouth with her hands and gasped, eyes wide, Lee's mouth was hanging open, and even Neji's eyes bugged out. Anko and Guy were somewhere between anger and surprise, while her whole team settled on anger.__

__Naruto growled under his breath, "Those bastards..." Hinata and Yuuko moved onto either side of Yasaka and tried to calm her down. Sadly it didn't work, as the Kyuubi's chakra started leaked out of her and she bolted out one of the windows.__

__Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, that could be a problem... She might just want to blow off some steam, but maybe, "Guy, Kakashi, Anko, come with me, we need to make sure she's in control." He turned to the Gennin, "You all, head home." Team 7 raised a few objections, but Jiraiya would have none of it, "If she loses control it'll be dangerous! We'll make sure she's alright, and you all go home, that's an order." They were all clearly unhappy, but they relented.__

__Hiruzen snapped his fingers, "ANBU, go with Jiraiya and follow his orders, also send someone to get Yamato, you may need him."__

* * *

-_ Team 7's apartment - _

The door to team 7's apartment opened and Naruto stepped in, carrying a now asleep Yasaka. Everyone was quiet as he took her back into the bedroom and set her down on her futon. Hinata placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I'll make sure she's alright, then come take care of you and Yuuko." Naruto nodded and went back into the living room where everyone else was waiting. He dropped onto the couch and leaned back.

Kakashi gave him and Yuuko a look, "Normally I'd be chastising you for disobeying a direct order, but I doubt Hokage-sama will care, considering the circumstances. We certainly weren't prepared for her to go wild like that."

Yuuko nodded, "After that, who could blame her? I can't even imagine..."

Naruto tightened his hand into a fist, "I swear, I'm gonna give them the beating of a lifetime..."

Anko shook her head, "Calm down Naruto, we don't need two Gennin running wild in one day. Plus attacking them would do nothing but getting you in trouble, so just tone down the lust for hurting someone. Kami knows that's what I'm doing right now..."

Hinata walked into the living room and sat on one of the chairs, "She's alright, just tired. Let's just let her sleep and tomorrow we can see how she's feeling." She turned to Naruto and Yuuko, "I'm gonna stay here for the night if you don't mind."

Yuuko nodded, "You don't have to ask us, this place is your second home after all."

"Right, thanks you two. I just need to let Tou-san know. Now let me see those burns so I can heal them."

Naruto made a clone, who headed off to notify Hiashi. Everyone just sat in silence for a while, just digesting everything that they'd learned that day as Hinata healed the chakra burns on Naruto's hands and Yuuko's foot. They heard a knock on the door and Yuuko went to answer, "Oh, hello Hauk-chan, Zabuza-san. Please, come in."

Their new neighbors and former enemies came in with curious expressions, Haku gave everyone a concerned look, "Is everything alright? We saw you carrying Yasaka-chan inside, and she looked like she'd been crying..." Zabuza merely stayed silent and stood next to the couch.

Naruto sighed, "Shit kinda hit the fan today...Get yourselves comfortable because it's gonna be a long story."

A little while later, even Zabuza looked like he'd swallowed something sour, "Damn... That sucks even by my standards."

Haku was a mix between frigid anger and concern for Yasaka, "I think I might have a few new targets to practice on..." The concern won out in the end as she put a finger to her chin in thought, "Maybe I could bake a cake for her to help cheer her up? I know she likes chocolate, maybe I could bring some vanilla ice cream as well?"

Zabuza perked up at that, "Oh I'd accept if I were you, Haku's homemade ice cream could put every ice cream place in the nations out of business!" Everyone stared at him, not used to him being so enthusiastic, "You think I'm joking? While we were traveling we'd actually _try_ to find ice cream that was better than Haku's. Never did."

Yuuko was now very interested and was nodding her head rapidly. Hinata just gave a grateful smile, "I think she'd like that, thank you, Haku-chan!"

Everyone chatted for a bit before Naruto received the memories from his clone, then stood up and stretched, "Damn, I've never seen Hiashi-sama that angry before, and I don't think I ever want to again..." He'd told the Hyuga head about what the letter had said, and oh boy was he not happy... "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna head to bed too." It was still a bit earlier than normal, but he was emotionally beat.

Anko nodded as she and Kakashi stood, "Well then, we'd best get outta here. Wanna go get hammered Kakashi?"

"I... would love that." Kakashi said as he went to follow her out the door, "You wanna come Zabuza?"

Said swordsman shrugged and headed after them, "Far be it from me to turn down a drink."

Haku gave them a bow, "I'll stop by tomorrow morning and see about bringing that cake and ice cream over." With that, Team 7 minus Yasaka were left in their apartment.

Hinata gave her two teammates a serious look, "Yasaka's a pretty tough girl, but this is bound to leave some scars, so we'll have to reassure her that we're here for her, alright?"

Naruto nodded, "Don't worry, we'll all help her through this. For right now though, I'm heading to bed." Naruto headed back to the bedroom to get his pajamas, then headed into the bathroom to change into his usual sleeping clothes of a sleeveless undershirt and pajama pants, he went back to the bedroom and got his futon ready. After lying down, he turned to Yasaka, who was still snoozing away on her futon next to his, "Don't worry about a thing, Yasaka. I've been with you for as long as either of us can remember, and I'll be with you until the end." He lie there for a minute, making sure he hadn't woken her up before drifting off to sleep himself.

* * *

_\- The next morning - _

If Naruto expected the next morning to start nicely after the shit show that was yesterday, then he would be wrong. Naruto was shaken awake by Hinata before the sun had even started peaking over the horizon, "Naruto-kun, wake up! Yasaka-chan is gone!"

Just like that, Naruto snapped awake. He turned to find Yasaka's futon empty, and her blanked missing, "How long has she been gone!?"

Hinata shook her head with worry, "We don't know, we just woke up ourselves! Yuuko-chan is going to ask if Haku-chan's seen her." She had clearly just been woken up as well, still dressed in her sleeping yukata. Naruto shot out of bed and the two rushed to the living room to find both Yuuko and Haku in their sleepwear. Yuuko was wearing an oversized t-shirt and Haku wore a blue nightgown.

Naruto grabbed his sandals from next to the door and threw them on, "Alright, let's split up and try to find her. Yuuko, you check Ichiraku. Hinata, see if Jiji, Ero-sannin, or Sensei have seen her. Haku-chan, check the top of the Hokage monument. I'll check the training ground, alright?" They all nodded, but before he left, he turned to Yuuko and Haku, "You two... might wanna get a little more dressed..." Hinata's yukata could pass for a casual one, but...

Yuuko looked down at her shirt, then her bare legs, before nodding and running back to the bedroom before returning with some bike shorts on underneath the shirt. Haku blushed a bit, but ran home ans swapped to her usual yukata. With that, they all split up to find their blonde teammate.

Naruto rushed through the village, with barely anybody awake to wonder about his rush, _"Dammit Yasaka, you could've at least left a note for us!"_ His brain was going through every possible scenario for what could have happened, and very few of them were good. Once he made it to Training ground 7, he looked around for Yasaka. He was in such a hurry to find her, that he almost missed the bundle of blanket sitting in front of the memorial stone. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief before making a few clones to let the others know. He walked over and stood next to Yasaka, who was bundled up in her blanket with only her face peaking out of the top, "There you are, you had us worried sick you know."

She was silent for a minute before speaking, still staring at the stone, "Sorry, I just wanted to find a quiet place to think."

Naruto sat down next to her, "You still angry?"

"No, I think my anger well is completely bottomed out, I just feel kinda sad now."

"Well, you wanna talk about it?"

She was quiet for a minute before bringing Yume out of her blanket cocoon and staring down at it,"After Jiji told me about my kaa-san, I idolized her, and I still did until yesterday. I always thought about what she might have been like, and what my life would've been like if she lived. Whenever I felt sad or alone, and I didn't wanna bother you guys, I'd just imagine her being there... What she'd say, hugging me and telling me that everything would be alright." Some more tears slipped out of her eyes, "Then I find out that she's alive, with my two siblings who I didn't even know existed, and she just left me here. The part of my brain that idolized her knows why they did it, and even acknowledges that they had some good points. I was really sick when I was younger, and if they took me with them then I would've died. I also understand the desire to hunt down people who'd destroy my home, no matter the cost." She clenched her fist around Yume as she started to shake, "But the rest of me feels like a piece of my heart was ripped out! Why should I forgive them after all I've gone through!? I went through hell because of them and they just abandoned me here!"

"What about the Yondaime?"

She narrowed her eyes in a glare, "I already hated him, now I just have another reason."

Naruto couldn't help but let a little smile appear, "There's the spitfire I remember. I was starting to think we'd lost you."

Yasaka scoffed and wiped the tears away, "After all the shit I've been through in my life, it'll take more than this to break me... Still gonna take a while to get over though..."

"Well, you have all of us to help you out. Plus nobody's saying you have to forgive them, if you want to, then do. If not, then don't... Gotta say, I'm a bit surprised you're still calling them your parents, I'd expected you to refuse to acknowledge that after what you said when you realized the Yondaime was your tou-san."

Yasaka gave a wry smile, "Well they are my parents in the genetic sense, they made me whether I like it or not. No use denying it like a child." She then looked back down at Yume, "I wonder, is that why you won't accept me, your previous wielder is still alive?" She stared for a minute before nodding to herself, "I've been thinking about it all morning. I've been holding onto an illusion, a daydream of my kaa-san and what she was like. If I ever want to move on from this then I need to ditch that mental safety blanket and stop thinking about what she'd do, what she'd say. I need to start making my own way in life without using her as an example. Besides, I don't need her to feel happy anymore. I have something else to cheer me up now!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Yasaka's smile became more sincere, "I remembered how we met."

"Seriously? We were toddlers, how do you remember that?" He asked, surprised.

She shrugged, "I have no idea. I was sitting here crying, then the memory just came flooding back. It was when we were still super little, the other kids had realized that they could be mean to me and take my toys and the matron wouldn't do anything about it... The old bitch..." The two let out a little chuckle, "Anyway, I was sitting in the corner, crying my eyes out while some kid was pulling my hair and calling me names. Then you came out of nowhere and pushed him down, saying 'Leave her 'lone!' He ran off and you left for a minute before coming back with an armful of toys." She leaned her head onto his shoulder, much to his surprise, "You sat down and dropped them before giving me a big grin. The matron came over and pulled you away, but you got right back up and came back over to me. She did it a few more times before she gave up, and we played together all day... We were together from then on." She looked up and gave him a smile, with something in her eyes he couldn't quite place, "That was the first time I ever felt truly happy... I don't need some phantom kaa-san anymore. I have that, and you."

Naruto didn't know what to say for a minute, "Well, now I feel bad for not remembering it myself..." She let out a laugh as he continued, "You'll always have me, as well as Hinata-chan, Yuuko-chan and Kakashi-sensei... Also Ero-sannin, Jiji, Ayame-nee, Teuchi-oji, Anko-sensei..."

"Uh, Naruto?"

"Lee, Tenten, Guy-sensei, Haku-chan... plus Neji and Zabuza even if they are kinda dickish."

"Okay, I get it! I already have a family, that's what you're getting at, right?"

Naruto gave a grin, "Of course you do, but that's not why I was listing them all. I was just thinking, our little family's really expanded over the years, hasn't it?"

Yasaka thought for a second, "Yeah, I guess it has... I suppose I did pretty well for myself in the friend department, all things considered!"

"Definitely! Oh, speaking of friends, Haku-chan said she'd make you a chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream if you want."

"Oh, really? Well then let's take her up on that, I'm starving!" Just before they got up, Yasaka turned back to Naruto, "Hey, hold still for a second."

Naruto raised a brow, but sat still, "Okay?" His brain shut down for a second as he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek. Yasaka had never done this before, why was she doing this now? She was kissing him, on the cheek, but still! She pulled away and he stared ahead for a second, before a voice broke him out of his trance.

"Ehem.." Hinata's voice sounded from behind them. They both jumped to their feet and turned to see Yuuko, Hinata, and Haku standing there. The resident Hyuga had her arms crossed, "Did we interrupt anything?" Naruto and Yasaka shook their heads and Hinata smiled, "Good..." She rushed forward and grabbed Yasaka by the front of her blanket, shaking her, "YASAKA UZUMAKI, YOU HAD US WORRIED SICK! NEXT TIME YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT LEAVE US A NOTE, GOT IT!?" Yasaka managed a nod through Hinata's shaking and was dropped to the ground. Hinata's face was back to her usual sweet self, "Alright then let's go home!"

Yuuko turned to Haku, who seemed a bit shaken up by Hinata's wrath, "So... about that cake and ice cream..."

Haku snapped out of it and gave her own smile, "Of course! Let's head back and I'll get started!" A chorus of cheers answered her as everyone made their way home. They ended up staying in their pajamas that day, relaxing in Team 7's apartment, unknowing of the trials they would be facing in the very near future.

* * *

_\- Hokage's office -_

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he and Jiraiya discussed the plans for a certain big event, "Do we have the exams themselves sorted out?"

Jiraiya nodded, "We've had to change them a bit to suit the number of Genin, but everything is proceeding on schedule. We've had to put a lot more work in this time."

"Well it's only natural. This is the first time in over a century that all five of the major Hidden Villages are going to be sending Gennin to the exams. Add to it all the Gennin from the minor villages, it's going to be a big event... Which also means a security nightmare. Make sure the ANBU are prepared, and put a few extra people on gate guard duty when the time draws near. We're going to be getting a lot of merchants looking to take advantage of the amount of people as well as Shinobi arriving from the other villages."

"Will do, Sensei... So how long are you gonna put off telling people about Minato and Kushina?"

Hiruzen's eye twitched, "I was going to tell the council as soon as we finished the setup for the exams..."

"Well, we're done."

"I see that." They were silent for a minute before Hiruzen sighed, "Fine... Neko, gather the Shinobi council and the elders, inform them all that it's urgent." A slight rush of air was all that appeared to let them know she was leaving.

Jiraiya set his papers down and walked over to the desk, "Are we gonna hold off on telling the civilians and the general Shinobi force?"

"Yes. Minato and Kushina are going to receive the same treatment any other AWOL Shinobi who returned to the village would receive. Their reasons for leaving will be judged by the Shinobi council, and if the council believes that their reasons were justified, they'll get off lightly with only a few punishments. If their reasons are not justified by the council, then they'll face a court marshal and jail time." Just because of who they were didn't mean that they'd be welcomed back with just a slap on the wrist. Though he couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the thought of Danzo's face after the meeting...

A little while later, they were all gathered in the council hall. It was a large room with nothing but a semicircular table, almost like a curved desk. The Hokage sat at the center of the table opposite the door, with a large scroll with the kanji for 'Fire' written on it hung behind him. There were chairs all around the side of the table, with the large area in front of the table clear of all furniture. Hiruzen took his seat as all the Shinobi clan heads filed in and sat down on their side of the table, to the Hokage's right. The table was large enough for all of them to have ample room, with a few extra chairs at the end. The elders sat on either side of the table, closest to the Hokage.

Once everyone was gathered, Hiruzen spoke, "I'm certain you're all curious as to why I've called this meeting. I'll not waste any time and get down to it, two previously thought KIA Shinobi are returning to the village soon. I just received word that they are alive and have been gathering information on the village's enemies all this time." There was a noticeable increase in KI in the room as Hiashi growled under his breath. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, "Are you already aware of this, Hiashi?"

A nod was his answer, "Yes Hokage-sama, Naruto Kaguya appraised me of the situation last night."

"I see, well then let's let everyone else in on this little secret. That being said..." He released a bit of KI, "What is about to be said here will not leave this room unless these AWOL Shinobi are pardoned, is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, before Tsume Inuzuka voiced her opinion, "Hokage-sama, with all due respect, why are we being called in for an urgent meeting to be notified of this? We usually just get a memo, so these two must be something special..."

Hiruzen nodded, "You could say that..."

* * *

_\- Two days later, unknown location - _

A certain pale skinned Sannin was sitting in his underground lab, looking over a few experiments. He'd been thinking about trying to launch an attack on Konoha, but finding out that all five villages were going to be sending Gennin made him reconsider. If all the Kage were present for the final exam, then he might die, so it was probably best if he held off the invasion for a time... Of course he wasn't happy with this. He'd had a lovely little plan worked out, convince Suna to side with him, kill the Kazekage, infiltrate the exams, kill Sarutobi-sensei, destroy Konoha, have a nice dinner surrounded by the burning rubble of his former home. Now all that was down the drain, he'd still be sending some Gennin of course to gather information, but sadly not much more. Well, that wasn't exactly true, as far as _they_ knew, not much more. He had a few errands of his own to run.

A knock sounded on the door to his lab, "Enter." An extremely nervous Shinobi entered his lab carrying a message, "I believe I said not to be disturbed..."

"A thousand apologies, Orochimaru-sama, but we've received an urgent message from our ally in Konoha." He said as he knelt down.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes, "He's not an ally, that old mummy is even less trustworthy than I am. But let's see what he has to say... You're dismissed." The nameless Shinobi quickly left the room, and Orochimaru curiously opened the scroll, "Now let's see here..."

Five minutes passed.

"FUCK!" Orochimaru yelled in rage as he threw a table through the wall of his lab, "FUCKING FUCK! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

Everyone in the base, including Orochimaru's own assistant, wisely chose to stay away from their normally calm master as he raged. Once the Sannin had destroyed damn near everything in the room, he stood panting for a few minutes before growling to himself, "Damn it all to hell, this had better be some sick joke!" ...Okay, he'd go to Konoha under the guise of his group's sensei and validate this himself... If it turned out to be true, then he'd have to move to a new base. Because he'd obliterate this one to let off some steam.

* * *

_\- A few days later, just outside Konoha_ -

"She's going to hate us."

"Come on Kushi-chan, it won't be _that_ bad."

"She is _going _to_ hate us!_" As the Namikaze family approached the massive main gates of Konoha, Kushina kept having a miniature freakout with every step, "What if she doesn't want anything to do with us? What if she gets worked up and hurts herself!? That defect has no doubt only gotten worse, oh I can't imagine how hard life must be for her... I want to help her and take care of her, but I'm so afraid she won't give is a chance!"

Minato flinched under the hood of his traveling cloak, an item shared by all the other members of the group, "We'll just have to prove to her that we care, and hope that she understands why we left her. Hopefully then, we can work on building a relationship."

"You're right, I just have to think positive... I wonder what she looks like now, she was such a beautiful baby, she must have boys flocking to her!"

The other male of the group squawked indignantly, "No way in hell! She's too delicate to be dating anyone!"

Minato shook his head with a sigh, "Menma-kun I know you're protective of your sisters, but you can't stop them from living their lives. Yasaka-chan might be a fragile girl, but I'm sure she doesn't want to be a shut in for the rest of her life..."

Nozomi nodded, "I'd really appreciate it if you calmed down on that, Menma-nii. I'd like to get a boyfriend sometime in the future and I'd rather not have to beat you down when I come introduce him to Tou-chan and Kaa-chan." She understood her brother's desire to protect their elder sister, but she didn't want to control her life... The two of them had wondered what their sister would be like. Menma imagined a fragile girl who needed a protector, someone to keep safe at all costs. Nozomi had dreams of a loving older sister who she would gossip and talk about boys with.

As they reached the gate, the sibling's eyes wandered over the gate and walls. They'd grown up hearing stories about the village, and now they were finally here... The group approached the gate guards, who seemed to be barely able to stay awake. Once they got a look at the faces inside the hoods, they snapped up. Kotetsu's jaw hit the floor, "Holy shit, it's actually true..."

Izumo nodded, "Um... Let's just, drink after this." He shook his head before looking up at Minato, "Um... Hokage... Saruto... Sandaime... Hokage-sama wants to see you immediately... if that's okay Yondaime-sama."

Minato nodded with a nervous look, "Yeah... We'll head right there, thank you." As they headed through the village, they looked around, making sure to keep their faces hidden, "Man... This place doesn't seem like it's changed, but everything looks so different."

Kushina nodded, "Well, we've been gone a long time. Some things were bound to change."

While they were walking, Nozomi looked around at all the people and buildings, it felt so weird knowing that she would be seeing the same buildings day after day... They'd moved around so long and so quickly that she never had the time to remember those things... It felt really good to finally have a real home.

Once they reached the Hokage tower, they headed up to the receptionist, and Minato's eyes widened in surprise, "Shizuka-san? You haven't aged a day..."

She looked up at him, "Ah, you really are alive. Alright then, head on up." She waved them into the office and returned to her paperwork.

Minato shrugged and the group headed up, and as Minato held a hand up to knock, Hiruzen's voice sounded, "Come in, Minato." He sighed and headed in, Kushina, Menma, and Nozomi filing in after him. They all removed their cloaks and sealed them away, Minato was wearing blue shinobi pants and sandals, a black t-shirt, and a white jacket like the one he wore when he was younger. Kushina wore a red kimono with straw sandals, Nozomi wearing a similar outfit, but with a blue kimono. Lastly, Menma wore a pair of black sandals, Shinobi pants, and a red long sleeved shirt.

Hiruzen took a breath, "Well, I suppose you don't need me to tell you how much trouble you're in."

Kushina nodded, "We can't begin to tell you how sorry we are Hokage-sama, we just... we thought we were doing the right thing."

A new, but familiar voice appeared, "We gathered that much from your letter." Jiraiya said as he entered through the window, "Kid, you have no idea how much you've fucked up. Why the hell didn't you contact us?"

"We couldn't risk it. Even with how few people knew about Kushina's location, Madara still got it somehow! We couldn't take the chance that it would leak out again. I know we could've done a lot of things better, but by the time everything was said and done it was too late to stop. We made our choice, and we stand by it." Minato said with conviction.

Hiruzen looked to Kushina, "Do you?" She nodded and he sighed once more, "Well then let's get this over with... The council should be gathered by now. I've informed them of the situation and they very much want to hear about your reasons for leaving."

* * *

_\- Team 7's Apartment - _

Yasaka sat at home, flipping through a magazine and humming to herself. It had been a relatively uneventful few days, which she was thankful for. Everything finally seemed to be settling into a semblance of normalcy. Of course, there was the lingering tension as they all waited for her... family... to arrive in the village. Her team was currently out shopping for groceries, which she opted out of. She hated housework tasks and if she had an excuse to get out of them, then she damn well would! Her humming was interrupted by a knock on her door. She raised an eyebrow and walked over to open it. On the other side was a face, or rather a mask, she'd become very familiar with, "Hey Neko-san, what's up?"

Said cat-masked ANBU waved, "Hello Yasaka-san, I'm afraid I can't tell you what I'm up to at the moment, council business." Her voice took on a very hinting tone, "A few VIP's have arrived at the Hokage tower and I've just finished alerting the council. I just stopped by to see how you're doing, well have a nice day!" With that, she vanished in a Shunshin.

Yasaka's eyes widened as she processed what Neko had told her, so they were finally here. She stood there in the doorway, debating and arguing with herself before leaving the apartment. She debated grabbing Yume and her gear, but decided against it, she wouldn't need them... As she slowly made her way through the village, she couldn't help but notice all the glares and comments. Usually she would just ignore them, but she wondered how they would change if the news came out. Hiruzen had told them what would happen with the council and she'd been thinking about it a lot. If they got locked up, should she visit them? Would they ask for her? If they got let off then how would the villagers take the news, especially concerning her? Well, it really didn't matter, she supposed. She'd never cared what they thought of her before, so why should she care now? She realized that she'd come to the Hokage tower, and started heading toward the council chambers. She'd just pop in, say hello, then leave.

Meanwhile, Minato and Kushina had just finished recounting their tale to the council, who were decidedly not happy. They clan heads seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes, then nodded to Hiruzen. The aged Hokage nodded back and stood up, looking to the Namikaze family, "Before we pass out verdict, we would like to hear exactly what information you've discovered." Minato was about to answer, before a commotion sounded from outside the door. Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched, he had a feeling he knew what was coming... There were raised voices, sounds of fighting, and the odd sound of breaking glass.

Jiraiya chuckled to himself, "Here she comes, I was beginning to think she wouldn't make an appearance."

The commotion stopped and the door opened just enough to let a figure inside, it was Yasaka. She looked calm and a bit curious, everyone turned to her as she walked inside, "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just need to take care of one thing..."

Hiruzen gave her a look, "Yasaka-chan, this is a council meeting, you can't just barge in."

The Namikaze family were stunned as they heard her name. They'd thought she'd be in a wheel chair, or at the least accompanied by a nurse! Nozomi however, quickly recognized her. Before any of them could say anything, she started toward them. As she approached them, Minato and Kushina couldn't help but marvel at how she'd grown... She was beautiful, the long flowing hair, bright blue eyes, smooth skin, the bright teeth she showed as her lips peeled back into a snarl... wait, that?

"How..." Yasaka said as her footsteps turned into stomps, "Dare..." As she approached, Kushina became aware of the fact that her hand was curling into a fist. This was a problem! With her condition, if she hit them she could break her hand! She reached Minato, her eyes flashing with rage as she took one more step and pulled her fist back, "YOU!?" She screamed as her fist crashed into her father's face. Instead of her being hurt like everyone suspected, Minato was sent flying, crashing into the wall and putting a dent into it.

Kushina watched with a shocked look as Yasaka turned to her and stared for a minute. There was a strange look in her daughter's eye as she looked Kushina up and down almost as if she was looking for something. Kushina couldn't help but feel nervous, those eyes were so intense... She'd prepared herself for anger and some tears, but not the hard, cold stare Yasaka was giving her. Yasaka stared into her eyes for a minute, before she scoffed and turned away, heading to the council chamber door and closing it behind her. The chamber was in a stunned silence for a few minutes before Minato pulled himself out of the wall. That punch was damn hard... it nearly broke his jaw! He turned to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, was that really..."

"Yes, that was your daughter. As you can see, she's not only inherited Kushina's temper, but is also completely healthy."

Menma voiced his opinion, "That should be impossible, right? I thought that defect was incurable!"

Hiruzen nodded, "It was, but none of the other people who had it were Jinchuuriki. Let alone one housing a Bijuu who can heal damn near anything, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if it could regrow a limb... She had no idea she was ever even sick until I told her after she became a Gennin and gave her the Uzumaki scroll."

Minato was even more surprised when he heard that, "So it really could heal her... We'd suspected Kyuubi's healing factor could lessen it's effects, but not outright cure it..." He idly rubbed his cheek where Yasaka hit him, "So she's a Gennin now?"

"Indeed." Hiruzen answered, "She passed the advanced Gennin exam with three others when she was 12, and she's one of the village's strongest Gennin. She's made me very proud, and it's been a pleasure watching her grow up." He said with a pointed look.

Kushina flinched at the jab, thinking to herself as Minato recounted everything they learned, "Well, I suppose I'd best get down to saying everything we've learned..." He took a moment to gather his thoughts. First of all I should warn you about Otogakure. Orochimaru is the leader, and the whole place is a cover for him to do his dirty work. The actual village doesn't even exist... Speaking of Orochimaru, he used to be involved with an organization called Akatsuki." Minato was the only one who noticed the quick look Jiraiya and Hiruzen shared, "They act as mercenaries, and they're composed entirely of S-rank rogue Shinobi. However, Madara seems to have ties to them. It took the better part of the time we were gone to track down that masked son of a bitch, but I finally learned that he'd been sighted with men in black cloaks with red clouds, which led me to my investigation of Akatsuki. I've been watching them for a long time and while I don't know what their exact plan is, I know it involves the Jinchuuriki, and if Madara is involved then it can't be good. I have some information on all the members as well, with some other info I've gathered on various threats to the village and the nations in general..."

As Minato talked, Kushina was lost in her own little world. Just from that tiny little interaction with Yasaka, she could tell that she was nothing like what they were expecting. She wasn't a fragile girl at all, she was a Kunoichi, and a strong one. Even though she knew she shouldn't, Kushina felt a little bit of pride swell inside her. Yasaka had grown into a strong young woman... Now if only they'd been there to see it... No! She couldn't think like that! They'd find a way to apologize to her and make it up to her, and she wouldn't rest until she did! Though... even if Yasaka never forgave them, she'd still keep trying to make her happy...

A while later, Minato had finished explaining every little thing they'd learned. From everything about Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and every little solitary threat to the village they'd investigated. The council listened quietly, before Inoichi Yamanaka raised a question after Minato seemed to stop, "So what made you decide that now was the time to come back?"

Minato gave a nervous grin, "Well... I got caught."

* * *

_\- Flashback, about one month prior -_

_Minato strained his eyes and ears as he slowly emerged from the shadows near the top of one of Ame's many towers, covered by a certain technique both his teacher and daughter also used, though he didn't know the latter did. Under the camouflage technique, he was wearing a set of ANBU gear and a facemask. After months of observing Ame's patrols and routines, as well as gathering information, he'd finally managed to find a way to slip into the village proper. He'd been skeptical about the sightings of his masked enemy in Ame, but after so long not getting anything, he had to take the chance. Apparently, the leader of Ame was spotted with a mysterious masked man several times over the past few years... So he'd set up some surveillance seals in the Ame leader's personal quarters and get out before anyone knew he was there..._

_It tested the limits of his stealth capabilities to get to the leader's tower without being spotted, even with the Meisaigakure no Jutsu, but he somehow managed it. He approached the opening near the top, his form shifting as he slowly approached. As he was about to make his way inside, he heard the door inside open. He froze at the mouth of the opening, listening as two voices reached his ears, the first was a woman._

_"Do you know why he wanted to meet us so suddenly?"_

_A grave male voice answered, "No, but I can only assume it's about our final goal."_

_A vaguely familiar swirling sound gave Minato pause, then his eyes widened as he heard an all to familiar voice, "Indeed it is, my friends..." He was here! Minato's eyes narrowed as a small smirk crossed his face, gotcha, "We've been preparing for a long time, and though we were set back by Orochimaru's betrayal, I believe we're finally ready to begin our plan in earnest."_

_The woman asked a question, "So shall we begin hunting the Jinchuuriki?" A rock settled in Minato's stomach, Yasaka would be in danger._

_Madara answered, "Not just yet. Keep gathering information on them for a while, we'll need to make sure we don't make any mistakes. However, if the opportunity presents itself then I don't see why we cant-" He stopped._

_Minato got a bad feeling just a second after the talking ceased. A slight sound caught his attention as he looked over to see a part of the tower... melting. It formed into a shape almost like a venus fly trap, which promptly tried to grab him. He jumped to the side into the building, directly in front of Madara. The woman and the Akatsuki's leader were both in shadows across the room, and he couldn't make out any features on them. Madara gave a little chuckle, "Well, looks like you'll need to step up Ame's defenses." He activated his Sharingan to see through the technique, and his eye shot open, "Impossible, you're still alive!?"_

_Minato dropped the jutsu, "Surprise." Taking advantage of Madara's surprise, Minato disappeared in his trademark technique._

_Madara stared for a second before growling, "Damn you..." He turned to his colleagues, "It seems like we may need to alter our plans a bit."_

* * *

Hiruzen listened with his usual patience, and once everything that needed to be said had been said, Hiruzen activated a privacy seal over the table and conversed with the clan heads. "Minato and Kushina Namikaze, though the council does not agree with your actions, we find your reasons for leaving the village valid." The family breathed a sigh of relief. Hiruzen continued, "The both of you shall be reinstated to the rank of Jounin, but for going AWOL, you will both be barred from leading missions for six months and will be watched by ANBU until once again deemed trustworthy. Kushina, you expressed your desire to become a reserve Shinobi when you learned you were pregnant, do you want to continue that?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. Also, Minato..." Hiruzen made sure Minato was paying attention, "You will not be getting this hat back. Understood?"

Minato flinched, but nodded, "Yes, I understand Hoage-sama."

"Good. With that, I think this meeting is done, you're all dismissed. Minato, Kushina, you'll find that your old property is still vacant. Yasaka had no interest in moving in, but I kept it secure in case she changed her mind." He tossed them a key and made his way back to his office, not letting his residual anger show.

As the clan heads walked past him, Minato felt the stares on him. He knew people wouldn't be happy, so he'd expected this. As he was about to turn to his family, a lazy drawl reached his ears, "Minato, Kushina..."They turned to see an old friend, Shikaku Nara looking at them, "We've all made mistakes, Kami knows that. Just give them some time and they might come around. Whatever happened, you two are still people we've grown up with, and friendships like that aren't so easily severed. At the same time, a lot of people have grown pretty attached to that girl, and finding out you left her to everything that happened... Some people might not forgive you." He turned his gaze to the Hyuga clan head, "Hiashi especially. He's been looking out for that girl for a long time, and I bet he sees her almost like another daughter."

Nozomi spoke up, less nervous now that the meeting was over, "Everything that happened? What happened, did someone hurt her?"

Her worry was shared by her brother, "If someone hurt her I'll make them wish they were never born!"

Shukaku shook his head, "It's not my place to say. Just know that if you plan on convincing her to forgive you, then drop the protective bit. She despises it when people say things like that, to her it's like you're saying she can't protect herself." With that, he left them alone in the chamber.

They stood there for a minute, absorbing the events of the day before following him out. As they entered the hall, they became aware of the figure leaning against the opposite wall. A very familiar blonde one. Yasaka stared at them, looking each of them over before pushing herself off the wall. As she made her way over, Minato spoke up, "Yasaka-"

"Save it. I only stayed here for one thing." She raised a hand and pointed at Kushina, "You, where's Akumu?"

Kushina blinked a bit, "What do you mean? Hokage-sama mentioned he gave you the scroll, wasn't it in there, or wherever Yume was?"

Yasaka narrowed her eyes, "Don't give me that, it's not in the scroll and you know it. There are only two options as to where it could have gone; either you hid it somewhere or you still have it. You didn't take it with you, if you did then you would've taken Yume as well, so that means you hid it, where?"

"Yasaka-chan I don't know what to tell you, Akumu was in the scroll."

"Don't you lie to me! You contained the Kyuubi before I did, so you know I can sense it when you do!" A tiny flinch from her mother was all she needed to see, "Aha! Got you... After all the shit I've gone through because of you, then I think I deserve to have the missing other half of my birthright."

Kushina's eyes widened a bit, "Gone through? What happened, are you alright!?" She stepped forward to examine Yasaka.

Yasaka backed up a step, "Don't _act_ like you care about me! Just tell me where Akumu is!"

Nozomi stepped forward between them, "Hold on, why don't we just calm down." She pushed Kushina back a bit before turning to face Yasaka, "I'm Nozomi, your imouto. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, Nee-chan. Though I suppose we have already met once before..."

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Oh... You're the girl from the hot spring inn." Her eyes widened as a humorless smile appeared on her face, "Oh that's rich... so the people I passed on the way to the springs must've been..." She didn't need to continue the sentence as the rest of the family caught on.

Memna also came forward, "Well, now we can be properly introduced at least, I'm Menma, the middle kid! It's really great to finally meet you!"

"Um... Thanks..." That was something Yasaka wasn't used to hearing... She shook her head, "Look, I really just want to know where Akumu is, and as nice as this _reunion_ is I have to make it home before my team wonders where I've gotten to." Truth be told, she wouldn't be too opposed to spending some time with her siblings. But not in the company of her parents, "If you don't want to tell me, then I can take more extreme measures..."

Minato raised a brow, "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

A small amount of KI arose from Yasaka as she glared at him, "It means that I'll have to make her give it to me." She turned back to Kushina, "I call for a Trial of the Blades."

Kushina gasped as everyone else got confused, "Yasaka, are you really willing to go that far?"

Yasaka smirked viciously, "You're damn right, now what are you going to do?"

Menma shook his head and interrupted, "Hold on, what exactly is this trial?"

Kushina and Yasaka stared at each other, with the redhead explaining, "If the heir to the Uzumaki feels that they are ready to wear Yume and Akumu, but the head doesn't agree, then a Trial of the Blades is called. I will propose a trial to Yasaka, and if she manages to complete it, then both swords are hers." She turned to her two younger kids, "It's a very old tradition, and was very rarely used even before Uzu was destroyed, so I didn't see any need to teach you about it."

Yasaka's smirk widened, "You _will_ propose a trial? I'll take that as a yes."

Kushina spent a minute thinking to herself before looking to Yasaka with a pleading look, "Yasaka, please don't do this... You don't understand, Akumu had to be hidden away!"

"I don't want your excuses, are you going to agree to a trial or not?"

Kushina grit her teeth and struggled with herself for a bit. She couldn't let Yasaka have Akumu, if she did then she'd get herself killed! ...Maybe the trial was the best way to stop her from getting Akumu. She'd just have to come up with a trial too difficult for her to accomplish. At the very least if would buy time to convince her not to go near that damn sword, "Alright... Meet me at the Uzumaki mansion in the clan district tonight at midnight, alone. Then we'll conduct your trial." Yasaka nodded and seemed to settle own a bit.

Naomi once again stepped in to try and lighten the mood, "Well, trials are all well and good, but the family is all together again! Why don't we go out and have some fun?" Menma agreed and her parents looked hopeful.

Yasaka shook her head, "No thank you. I have no intention of involving those two in my life more than I have to..." They seemed to deflate at this, and Yasaka gained a more sincere smile, "Though... I guess I wouldn't mind getting to know you two." She said, much to their happiness, "Maybe we could do something together... as siblings?"

Menma nodded, "That sounds good! Maybe we can go out to ramen sometime?"

"Sure, that would be... nice." She said, genuinely satisfied, "But for now I need to get going. See you tonight, _Kaa-san._" She said as she walked away.

Minato put a hand on Kushina's shoulder, "Kushi-chan, do you really need to do this? I know you don't like using Akumu, but..."

Kushina nodded, "Minato-kun, it's not that I don't like using Akumu. It's a clan secret as old as Akumu itself, and it's the reason why only two Uzumaki have ever used Akumu in battle." She swallowed, anxiety welling up inside, "Yasaka can never have that sword, for her own good."

* * *

_\- That night, Namikaze house - _

As the clock approached midnight, Kushina sat on the porch of her new/old home in the clan district. It was a large traditional style mansion, not as large as the Hyuga or the Senju, but pretty good sized. It was for any visiting Uzumaki and was made by Hashirama Senju himself, with a bamboo forest and a few normal trees surrounding the building. She'd lived here when she moved to Konoha, and Minato had moved in after they'd gotten married. She'd hoped this would be a place for her family to grow up in, but those dreams were a far cry from the reality she'd made for herself... She heard footsteps sound next to her and looked over to see Menma approaching her, "Menma-kun, what are you doing up? You should be in bed, we have to go talk to Hokage-sama about you and your sister tomorrow."

He nodded, "I know, I just couldn't sleep..."

"Why not?" She asked, patting the spot beside her.

He sat next to her and took a breath, "I was thinking about Nee-chan."

"Oh, me too..." Kushina said, looking down at the grass.

"I just can't stop wondering what everyone meant about 'what she went through'... I understand being an orphan, but it seemed like there was more to it than that. Do you think... do you think people found out she contained Kyuubi?"

Kushina nodded, "I was thinking that as well..." She'd been thinking about it all day, and that was the only exploitation, someone had blabbed about her Jinchuuriki status. She had no doubt that Hiruzen would keep it secret, but if someone talked then... Well, she'd talk to Yasaka about it tonight, "It's getting to be about that time, you should head to bed before your sister gets here."

"Wait, let me stay!" Menma asked, jumping to his feet.

Kushina stood up from the patio and dusted her Kimono off, "No, this is something best kept between us. We need to settle this alone." She gave a small smile, "Now get to bed, you have an early start tomorrow."

Menma frowned, but nodded. He turned, but just before entering the mansion, he turned, "Kaa-san?" He made sure she was listening before continuing, "I don't know why you don't want Nee-chan to have Akumu, but I do understand that you want to protect her. But if she'd been a Gennin since she was 12, and has dealt with everything bad that comes with being a Jinchuuriki... then I think she's way stronger than any of us gave her credit for." Kushina seemed surprised by his words, "I think I might understand what that guy in the council chamber meant... She must hate it when people think they can steer her life for her."

Kushina stood there for a second, "I'll keep that in mind, sochi-kun." Menma nodded before heading into the mansion. A few seconds after he left, Kushina turned to the path lading up to the mansion, "You could've joined us, you know."

The air shifted as Yasaka appeared in front of the house, "I didn't want to interrupt your nice family moment. Now, what's my trial?"

Kushina frowned, "You're a part of this family as well, and I'll do anything to make you realize that."

"I know I am, I just don't want to be." Yasaka said with her own frown.

They stared at each other for a second before Kushina shook her head, "Come on, we'll conduct the trial over this way." She turned and lead Yasaka behind the mansion, through a garden, and into a large open field with tall grass and flowers all around. The moon shone down on them as they both stood in the center of the field. Kushina walked away from Yasaka and turned around, "Are you ready to begin?"

Yasaka nodded, "Before we start... I want to know exactly why you refuse to give me Akumu."

Kushina looked like she knew the question was coming, "Sorry, I couldn't tell you earlier because it's a secret meant to be kept between the Uzumaki head, and their heir." She took a second to collect her thoughts, "What do you know about Yume's history?"

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, her eyes moving down to the purple sword hanging at her waist, "According to the scroll it was created by the second head of the Uzumaki, Genichiro Uzumaki, when he was a reenager to protect the clan from all threats. What does this have to do with Akumu?"

"Akumu's history was stricken from the scroll and all records, because it was created for a purpose both the same as Yume's, but completely opposite at the same time." Kushina's eyes took on a sad look, "According to my father, soon after Genichiro took his position as clan head, the clan was attacked and many lives were lost. The clan was still young then, so they weren't quite as strong as they were when they were wiped out. Men, women, and children were slaughtered like animals by a feudal lord and his council, who were angered by the Uzumaki refusing to join his army. Genichiro was furious after the attack, and he wanted to punish everyone who dared attack his family. However Yume was made to protect, not for wanton slaughter, so he made another sword."

"Akumu." Yasaka guessed.

Kushina answered with a nod, "He hunted down every soldier who took part in the attack, every lord who had a part in ordering it. Akumu was created and baptized in blood and anger, it is a sword that lusts for blood, so much so that just drawing it will make you feel the fear of its victims. To this day, Genichiro Uzumaki is the only Uzumaki to draw out it's full power. Everyone after him who tried to earn Akumu's acceptance were either scared off by it's evil aura, or severely injured while trying to use it. Every one of them swore that Akumu caused their injury. The only one to ever use Akumu after it's creator was Mito Uzumaki, and even then, she could never unlock it's true power." Kushina rubbed a spot on her right arm, "I tried using Akumu once after I became a Chunin, I thought I was ready. I managed to draw it, and made a single swing, it was only thanks to my reflexes that Akumu didn't totally sever my arm. It was so fast I didn't even see it, but one second I was doing a normal draw swing, and the next Akumu's blade was cutting into me! Thankfully I let go, and the cut was so clean that the scar didn't last for long..." She looked up at Yasaka, "That's why I can't let you have it, that sword exists for nothing but pain and suffering. I won't let you get killed trying to master it. Now do you understand?"

Yasaka was silent throughout the story, and looked at Kushina with a serious expression, "When we first got here, I wanted Akumu..." Her face split into her signature predatory smirk, "But now I _have_ to have it!"

"Wh-what?" Kushina asked, surprised.

"My whole life I've been called a demon and evil, and I've lashed out at people who've called me that. Now I find out there's a sword that feels exactly like I do!? No way in hell I'm leaving without that sword!" Yasaka said with a laugh.

Kushina was shocked fora bit before managing to get over it, "You're not going to change your mind about this?"

"Not on your life, now what's my trial?"

Her mother stood silently for a minute, eyes closed, "...I know I've made mistakes, and I wasn't here for you when I should have been." Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Nothing I say can make up for everything that we've put you through, and I know you hate your Tou-san and I more than anything. But despite that, I want to make sure you're safe and protect you from anything that could do you harm. If that means I have to stop you from doing something that could kill you by using force, then I damn well will."

Kushina looked up, her eyes hard and her face showing no emotion. Yasaka was momentarily taken aback, this wasn't the woman she'd met that day, this was a woman who'd been through the third Shinobi war, a Kunoichi who's name was feared throughout the nations. Kushina held her hand out toward Yasaka as if to take her hand, and Yasaka gasped as Yume flew out of it's sheath and into Kushina's hand. Kushina gripped the handle and held Yume out to her side, the blade seemed to glow in the light of the moon, the pattern on it's side wavering as it's true power was awakened after over 16 years.

Kushina pointed the blade at Yasaka, "Your Trial of the Blades begins now, Yasaka Uzumaki."

* * *

**Chapter End!**

Okay, so upon putting that bit about the emotions in the beginning AN, I felt like saying something down here as well. There weren't a lot of emotional explosions for a few reasons, Yasaka doesn't like showing emotion or vulnerability to strangers or people she doesn't like, so of course she wouldn't break down upon meeting them. Plus she's been through some shit, and she's a pretty emotionally resilient girl. As for Kushina and Minato, they held no illusions that Yasaka would hate them. There wasn't some big emotional upheaval because they knew they wouldn't just be able to come back and everything would turn out fine, they were prepared for rejection.

Oh, I also made up that lore about Akumu because I wanted it to be a cursed sword. Also the trial was a way for Yasaka to get the sword from Kushina, who certainly wouldn't just give it up if sh thought she was protecting Yasaka from it, as well as work through some issues. It wasn't because I just wanted them to fight.

Okay, done! Hopefully I managed to make Minato and Kushina work. So, next chapter will be where the fun truly kicks off! I hope you guys liked the chapter, so tell me what you think and I'll see you later!


End file.
